50 percent of Netflix subscribers worldwide watch anime, namely Japanese animated films or series. The number of subscribers watching it has tripled in the last five years. In general, Japanese content on Netflix, not only animation but also films and series with original actors taken from anime, is the second most watched content in the world among non-English language content. This led to the platform openly stating that they were “built for the future of anime”. These figures are of concern worldwide but are largely influenced by the United States, which accounts for a third of total customers.
Netflix’s data is just one example of how anime penetration has changed in the United States: after years of failing to generate much interest, it is now for the first time successful, and even in cinemas.
The most sensational case is the case Demon Slayer – Infinite Castlea film that grossed 70 million dollars in its first weekend of release in US cinemas, one of the highest figures of the season, and closed with 134 million. So the film was an instant hit and continues to achieve success, as a medium to large American film. In comparison, that amount was almost double what he made Completely Unknownfilm with Timothée Chalamet about Bob Dylan. Except that it’s not a medium-sized film and it’s not an American film: it’s an anime based on one of Japan’s most popular series, and in the United States it’s rare for a non-American production to make money.
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A few months later almost the same thing happened with another film based on a successful anime series, Chainsaw Manwhich has grossed $40 million so far, a much lower figure but still unthinkable just a few years ago (and double the gross of the biopic). Springsteen: Set Me Free from Nowhere).
The success of these films has been global, including Italy, but it is interesting how the United States in particular has approached Japanese animation for at least ten years. For some thirty years, the only way for anime to penetrate the US market was to distribute adapted and dubbed productions on VHS and DVD. The presence of this platform is the first factor that determines new success; the second was the pandemic, which gave time for a wider audience to take advantage of that greater availability and discover anime.
Currently all major US streaming platforms buy and distribute anime which, in 2023, will account for 6 percent of their content, generating $5.5 billion in revenue (again for the platforms). Netflix, thanks to its very strong presence in many different countries, is also trying to expand interest in Japanese animation by producing animated films. KPop Demon Hunterwhich, although not an anime (as it was co-produced with South Korea and set in South Korea), quickly became the most watched film on the platform, even among non-animated films. And it could be said that it is still a consequence of the current interest in anime.
At the same time, platforms such as Prime Video are increasingly purchasing and therefore indirectly commissioning American animated series such as Unbeatableaimed at a more mature audience. They are productions that borrow many characteristics from anime, such as very complicated plots, greater emotional intensity in the stories, exposure to violence and a more direct and profound way of dealing with feelings and sexuality.
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However, the company that had the most important role in this change was Sony, the Japanese group that owned one of America’s major production and distribution studios, Columbia. He was among the first to rethink American animation to resemble Japanese animation and in 2021 he purchased streaming platform Crunchyroll from Warner, which is dedicated solely to anime, has been around since the 2000s, and is now widespread in more than 200 countries worldwide, including Italy (but not Japan or China). Since the acquisition, Crunchyroll has grown more than ever, also thanks to the lockdown, and today Crunchyroll is the platform with the largest anime catalogue.
However, before this acquisition, in 2018 Sony had created a series of its own animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versevery different from the American animation style and closer to anime graphics and stylization, it immediately gained success and approval. Then he took advantage of the possibility of establishing direct relationships with Japanese companies to promote anime production for distribution in cinemas around the world and in the United States. In fact, Sony was behind the success in cinemas Demon Slayer And Chainsaw Mantwo films directly tied to the television series of the same name are available on Crunchyroll and capitalize on their success. Then in December, Sony will also distribute it Jujutsu Kaisen: Executiona film that is also tied to one of the TV series. It’s on par with the great Disney films for Sony, even though Sony doesn’t produce them directly but commissions them through Crunchyroll.
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According to Rahul Parini, president of Crunchyroll, after the United States, another big market where anime penetration is increasingly strong is the Middle East. The world’s first amusement park dedicated to Dragon Ball Zis perhaps the most famous manga and anime in the world, and the Saudi studio is interested in buying the rights to adapt the manga to make a series and film, again with the collaboration of Crunchyroll.
