"In 2025, when Hollywood films struggled at the box office, it was anime that topped the charts. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Executio were all "surprise" hits; Chainsaw Man drew a mighty $43.4 million in its opening weekend, while Demon Slayer had an even stronger $70.6 million debut. Anime's big-screen streak last year surprised studio executives and box office analysts. But it didn't surprise its fans. Anime is a mainstream powerhouse now."
"Originating as a pirate site in 2006, Crunchyroll went legit in 2008 and exists today as a subsidiary of Sony. (Sony also owned Funimation, a once-dominant anime distributor-turned-streamer until it shut down in 2024. Its subscribers were folded into Crunchyroll.) The go-to destination for any anime fan, the Big Orange Stramer commands the largest catalogue in the market. All the heavy hitters are here, and the service is the first to get new episodes simulcast from Japan."
Anime dominated the 2025 box office with major releases such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Executio. Chainsaw Man opened to $43.4 million while Demon Slayer debuted to $70.6 million. Theatrical success reinforced anime's mainstream cultural presence, visible in cosplaying at Comic-Con, a Goku balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and celebrities and athletes openly expressing fandom. Streaming access is central, with Crunchyroll offering tiered pricing ($9.99, $13.99, $17.99), a vast catalogue, early simulcasts from Japan, and consolidation of Funimation subscribers under Sony ownership.
Read at Esquire
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]