Why Anime Is Becoming Undeniable in Hollywood

Summary

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The Town with Matthew Belloni

Episode: Why Anime Is Becoming Undeniable in Hollywood

Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Matthew Belloni
Guest: Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll

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Overview

In this episode, Matthew Belloni explores the exploding presence of anime in Hollywood and the global entertainment industry. With anime films regularly breaking box office records and platforms like Crunchyroll amassing millions of subscribers, Belloni—self-described as an anime novice—talks to Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll, to unpack the key drivers of this phenomenon. They dive into audience demographics, business strategies, cultural significance, and the industry's challenges, offering insight for anyone curious about anime’s dominance and future prospects.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Anime’s Box Office Boom and Streaming Expansion

• Opening Box Office Numbers:
  • "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" opened to $70M in the US and hit nearly $600M globally—biggest opening and highest-grossing of the season.
  • "Chainsaw Man: The Movie" grossed $150M worldwide.
• Global Streaming:
  • In 2023, anime made up $5.5B of global streaming revenue — about 6% of total content genres.
  • Factors fueling growth: new demographics, pandemic changes, global streaming, and accessibility.

"You don't need me to tell you that anime and manga is huge and a growing business. Once considered niche or hard to find, the Japanese animation style is increasingly popular." — Matt Belloni [02:15]

• Platforms Investing Heavily:
  • Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and even Disney have embraced anime; Crunchyroll remains a key player with over 17 million subscribers (notably, not available in Japan).

2. About Crunchyroll and Audience Demographics

• Growth Stats:
  • Crunchyroll crossed 17 million subscribers in May 2025.
  • Available in over 200 countries outside Japan and China, with the world’s largest catalog of anime.
• Audience Profile:
  • 44% of general entertainment fans (ages 13–54) watch anime regularly; for Gen Z/Gen Alpha, it’s nearly 59%.
  • Significant entry point for audiences ages 9–13 (e.g., "Naruto" as a gateway show).

"As you get younger, so as you get to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, that becomes close to 59%." — Rahul Purini [07:44]

• Market Size Outside Asia:
  • U.S. is the biggest non-Asian market, benefiting from decades of localization and now seamless accessibility via streaming.
  • Middle East also highlighted as a surging region, with major initiatives like Dragon Ball Z theme parks and anime at esports events.

3. Why Anime Resonates (Especially Now)

• Distinct Storytelling:
  • Noted for "real and different" stories — relatable but unlike conventional Western narratives.
  • Anime is a medium, not a genre: covers everything from action and sci-fi to romance and slice-of-life.

"Almost all anime fans tell us that a) these stories help them connect not only with who they are but with other people in the community. So they're both identity building and connection making." — Rahul Purini [12:00]

• Emotional Relevance:
  • Anime helps fans process complex emotions, offering comfort, inspiration, and a sense of community especially poignant in “dark” or uncertain times.

"Anime stories are diverse. So audiences across the world can relate and see that diversity... It's identity building, it helps with social connections and it is a form of self help for a lot of people." — Rahul Purini [13:11]

• Mainstream Cultural Influence:
  • References to anime across sports, music, and celebrity culture have pushed it further into the mainstream.
  • Events like Anime Night at Dodger Stadium, packed anime music shows at Comic-Con, etc.

4. Business, Production Models, and Authenticity

• Hollywood’s Approach:
  • Belloni wonders why Sony (and not Disney) capitalized on anime. Sony’s Japanese roots give it a unique edge.
  • Sony’s preference for backing authentic Japanese productions, not creating “Westernized” blockbusters (unlike how Disney made Frozen or Zootopia).
• Authenticity as a Core Value:
  • The Japan–manga–anime link is crucial; fans value the authenticity and storytelling techniques unique to Japanese creators.

"Japanese way of storytelling, the Japanese creators method and approach to anime is a real part of what gives anime its authenticity." — Rahul Purini [16:07]

5. Competition and the Rush to Serve Anime Fans

• Market Landscape:
  • Crunchyroll’s core competition is for fans’ time, but similar pure-play anime streamers include HiDive (by AMC Networks).
  • Most general entertainment platforms (Netflix, Disney+, YouTube) now compete in anime.
• Industry Trend:
  • Expected surge as other streamers “rush to have their version of K Pop Demon Hunters” and capitalize on anime’s global popularity.

6. Challenges and Future Outlook

• Biggest Hurdles:
  • Maintaining authenticity as demand scales.
  • Ensuring Japan’s industry can keep up with global appetite despite production constraints and demographic shifts.

"The biggest hurdle is going to [be] can we keep up creating the kind of content, the authentic anime at scale to serve this audience?" — Rahul Purini [21:28]

• Growth Projections:
  • 1.5 billion non-Asian people are presently anime-interested; projected to reach 2 billion by 2030.
  • Gen Z and Millennials highly “sticky”—once they become fans, they remain so for years.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Anime’s broad demographic appeal:

  "44% of general entertainment fans in the age group of 13 to 54 are anime fans... as you get to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, that becomes close to 59%." — Rahul Purini [07:03-07:44]

• Anime as self-help:

  "Anime becomes a way of... inspiration. People find it as comfort." — Rahul Purini [13:43]

• On mainstreaming anime culture:

  "If you go to San Diego Comic-Con, we host a two-day anime music event and it is full. You go to New York Comic-Con, half of the convention is featuring anime shows and characters. So it is pretty much mainstream pop culture and it is huge." — Rahul Purini [15:06]

• Authenticity over Westernization:

  "Sony Pictures and us are very clear. Like, we work with our Japanese partners to produce these shows to retain the authenticity, to keep that way of storytelling." — Rahul Purini [16:07]

• Maintaining the momentum:

  "As this audience grows bigger globally, how do we serve their appetite? How do we bring enough content to meet all their needs?" — Rahul Purini [21:28]

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Important Timestamps and Segments

• [02:15] – Intro to anime’s box office dominance
• [06:07] – Crunchyroll’s global reach and demographics
• [07:44] – Anime’s penetration within Gen Z/Alpha
• [10:29] – Accessibility and how streaming changed anime’s global profile
• [13:11] – Anime as identity, connection, and comfort
• [14:55] – Anime’s rise into the mainstream and pop culture events
• [16:07] – Importance of retaining Japanese authenticity
• [17:41] – The "K Pop Demon Hunters" effect and content gold rush
• [20:32] – Future: 2B global anime fans by 2030
• [21:28] – Obstacles: Content production and authenticity
• [22:31] – Crunchyroll x Alamo Drafthouse ‘Anime Movie Nights’ synergy
• [23:42] – Entry points: Most fans start between ages 8–13
• [25:09] – Crunchyroll focused on serving current fans, not evangelism

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

Belloni’s curiosity and outsider’s perspective balance Purini’s confident, informative expertise, creating a dynamic that makes the episode accessible for newcomers and valuable for industry watchers. The conversation is upbeat, practical, and peppered with stats and memorable analogies—like comparing the mainstreaming of anime to what’s happened with K-Pop or how Spider-Verse’s relatability mimics anime’s appeal.

The core message: Anime’s surge is more than a trend—it’s a generational cultural shift, deeply connected to identity, community, and the modern entertainment landscape. Authentic production, careful stewardship, and strategic partnerships will determine which players lead anime’s next era in Hollywood.

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Transcript

[A]

Before we start today, I want to give a little plug for my upcoming awards season event. It's called Stories of the Season and it is a showcase for some of the biggest actors artisans talent of the awards season. We've got a bunch of the top contenders for this year's awards season. I'm doing a live edition of the Town with Chloe Zhao who has directed Hamnet. One of the big awards contenders. We've got an actors panel with Elle Fanning, Will Arnett, Tessa Thompson, Jesse Flemons. My colleague Lauren Sherman at Puck is doing a costume design panel. Bunch of other things. This one's for awards voters but I do try to allow some listeners of the Town to attend. So what I'm going to do is the first five people who email the townpotify.com and request two tickets to this awards event. It's Friday the 14th of November at 5 o' clock in Hollywood. First five people who do that will get an invite to join us. So if you're interested in that, give me an email and we'll get you in. This episode of the Town is brought to you by Netflix. Presenting a House of Dynamite from Kathryn Bigelow, the Academy Award winning director of the hurt locker and zero dark 30. When a single unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond. Starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson. Now a New York Times critics pick. Deadline raves it's one hell of a motion picture achievement. Now playing on Netflix. For your awards consideration, an AMC original series.

[B]

You're spy?

[A]

No.

[B]

CIA? MI6.

[C]

Who are you? Talamaska.

[A]

A gritty new spy thriller. Our Order keeps tabs on the supernatural, where otherworldly secrets emerge from the shadows we watched. And we're always there. We're always there. Anne Rice's Telemasca the Secret Order all new Sundays Stream now on AMC. It is Thursday, November 13th. If you look at the box office this fall, a couple titles stand out. Demon Slayer, Infinity Castle. It opened to a whopping $70 million in this country and it's grossed nearly $600 million worldwide so far. It's the biggest domestic opening and the highest grossing movie of the season. It was released in Japan in July. And Chainsaw man. The Movie. It was number one during its debut weekend in this country and it's grossed 150 million worldwide. What do these movies have in common? Both released by Sony Pictures, the Hollywood studio arm of the Japanese electronics company. And they're both anime titles. You don't need me to tell you that anime and manga is huge and a growing business. Once considered niche or hard to find, the Japanese animation style is increasingly popular. Everything from Spider Verse movies to K Pop Demon Hunters, especially among young people and certainly having a moment. In 2023, anime made up $5.5 billion of global streaming revenue in about 6% of all content genres, according to Parrot Analytics. Combination of changing demographics, people's willingness during the pandemic to sample other kinds of content, and the rise of global streaming services that give easy access to movies and shows from all over the world, it's fueled a sustained bump in viewership and the ability to open these titles big. Even in the us there's another one from Sony called Jujutsu Kaisen that's coming next month. There's also something about the content itself that lends itself to these somewhat darker times. We'll get into that. As a result, streaming platforms have responded. Netflix now has subtitled anime in 33 languages. And of course K Pop Demon Hunters is now its biggest movie ever. Hulu Prime Video. Even Disney, the originator of the American style feature animation. They're in the anime game a little too maybe. The most influential player is Crunchyroll, streaming service for anime deep cuts. It has about 17 million subscribers, small by general service standards, but big number considering it's not available in Japan. And since 2021, Crunchyroll has been owned by, yes, Sony Pictures, which merged it with its funimation unit. That makes for some nice synergies when anime titles can jump from TV streaming to a full blown global theatrical hit. I will admit I don't know much about anime. I think a lot of people in Hollywood don't. I'm not a consumer and until recently I haven't been following the business of anime. So that's why I wanted to get Rahul Perini on the show. He's the president of Crunchyroll, longtime anime executive and we're going to get into it today. It's the anime explosion. Why it's working so well lately. What the future may hold for this growing genre of entertainment from the Ringer and Puck. I'm Matt Bellany and this is the town. Okay. We are here with Rahul Perrini who is the president of Crunchyroll, a Sony Pictures company. Welcome Rahul.

[B]

Thank you, Matt. Glad to be here.

[A]

On a scale of 1 to 10, the annoyance scale, how annoyed do you get when Crunchyroll is not included in discussions of the big streaming services?

[B]

I wouldn't say annoyed. I think it would be.

[A]

I would be annoyed. What have you guys got 17 million subscribers now?

[B]

Yes. So we announced back in May that we've crossed 17 million subscribers.

[A]

That's not nothing. That's pretty good.

[B]

It's definitely not nothing. It is pretty big and it's a reflection of how big the anime is fandom is around the world.

[A]

I want to talk about this subject because I am a novice. I will say up front, I'm not an anime person. I like the Spider Verse movies, my kids into K Pop, Demon Hunters. But I am not a anime person. And I have been frankly surprised by some of these box office successes that we have seen over the past couple years. And so much so that it's not even really a surprise anymore.

[B]

But.

[A]

So just give me a lay of the land of the biggest players in anime right now. Just for a novice.

[B]

Yeah, like look, I think in terms of global anime footprint, Crunchyroll is one of the biggest. Is the biggest platform that's servicing the anime fans exclusively. Right? But anime is also available on most general entertainment platforms. Right?

[A]

Like Netflix has been doing a lot more.

[B]

Netflix has been in anime for a long time and they have a lot. But other general entertainment platforms around the world have anime. Anime is obviously huge in Japan, but it is also massive across the world. We are serving about 200 plus countries and regions outside of Japan and China and we have the single largest catalog of anime. So that gives us an advantage when we interact and reach this audience.

[A]

And who is the Crunchyroll subscriber? What do you reveal about your demos and where you are?

[B]

We've only announced like the number of paying subscribers on the platform. We shared a lot of data with our partners in Japan in terms of demographics and things like that. We published research that is done by third party in terms of the anime fandom, the anime audience. Matt, to your question is it's across demographics. So our latest research shows that 44% of general entertainment fans in the age group of 13 to 54 are anime fans. They watch anime regularly. So it is a pretty large group of folks. But as you get younger, so as you get to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, that becomes close to 59%.

[A]

So.

[B]

So 59% of Gen Alpha are very regular anime viewers and consider themselves to be anime fans. So larger as we get younger. But it's a full spectrum of the age demo.

[A]

That's amazing. Why didn't Disney buy Crunchyroll? Why did Disney miss this? Because they gotta be looking at the box office of these anime titles and K Pop Demon Hunters and the success there and thinking we are the animation leader, we should be doing this. And to my knowledge, they're not.

[B]

So, Matt, like anime as you know, has its origins in Japan.

[A]

Sony is Sony Japan. You're right, yes.

[B]

Sony is a Japanese company. Sony has had anime in their DNA for a long time, both on the production and even on the linear television side. And Sony Pictures saw the opportunity and the growth in anime back in 2017 and acquired this company out of Texas called Funimation.

[A]

Right. That's where you worked.

[B]

That's where I was. And so almost eight years ago, Sony Pictures saw the opportunity and the growth in anime and acquired. And then obviously several years later, back in 2021, we acquired Crunchyroll and put both of those two companies together.

[A]

Yeah, I just feel like that's a missed opportunity for Disney. But good for Sony. Good for you. You guys have been killing it in this arena lately and I want to get a sense of the growth markets here. Where is anime biggest outside of Asia?

[B]

US is the biggest in terms of audience size.

[A]

And why is that? Is that because we have a large population from Asia? Why is. Why? What is it about the US that has made it such a key market other than the size?

[B]

I think it's a couple of factors, Matt. One is availability of anime. So for a long time now, for over 30 years, a lot of companies have worked to bring anime from Japan to us, localize it into English and make it available to fans, first on vhs, then on DVD and linear television. And with the advent of streaming, there's been a lot of focus to make anime available to audiences in us. And I think that is a big factor in why the fandom is so large.

[A]

It's the same reason why people are watching more subtitles, whether they're watching crime dramas from Europe. And this stuff is so available and easy now. You used to have to get a DVD with some fan made anime US version. And now it's like if the algorithm knows that you like it, you're going to get it served to you.

[B]

Exactly. So I think accessibility is a big factor. I also think the stories that the Japanese creators tell through anime have resonated with younger audiences that I want to.

[A]

Get into because that is super interesting and it's sort of a darker, more dystopian, correct me if I'm wrong here, like, what is it about the storytelling that is appealing to young people?

[B]

If you think about anime, most people think about the visuals, the color, the animation, and those are amazing. Those are all Things that appeal to audiences globally. But if you dig deeper into why do audiences connect with anime? Why do younger audiences connect with anime? There are two things that stand out for us. Number one, they tell us that the stories that the Japanese creators tell in anime are real and different. They don't see those themes and those plots being told in other forms of entertainment.

[A]

What does real and different mean?

[B]

Meaning it is relatable. They can relate with the characters, they can relate with the plot and the themes, but they're also different. The other thing about anime is it's not a genre, it's a medium. It has every single genre in it. Everything from action to sci fi to adventure to romance, comedy, slice of life. So there is a show for every anime fan, but it's also told very differently. The themes that the creators pick in anime are very different. The other side of it for the anime fan is what this content and these stories mean to them. Almost all anime fans tell us that a these stories help them connect not only with who they are but but with other people in the community. So they're both identity building and connection making. We have some research that says 30% of anime fans say anime has influenced who they are as a person. That is huge. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And also 78% of them say their relationships are stronger because of anime.

[A]

Really? That's interesting. I mean, you told the LA Times for a story earlier this year that anime allows us to process some of these really conflicting, difficult emotions we have. Is that a product of the times? Like the world's going to shit and anime is a more compassionate or more reflective medium than traditional animation.

[B]

The world is complex. The young fans.

[A]

Yeah, you don't have to use the term going to shit. That's my word.

[B]

Young fans are dealing with a lot. Right.

[A]

But I'm trying to get into the psyche of why it's appealing now.

[B]

I think it is appealing now because of the things. Anime stories are diverse. So audiences across the world can relate and see that diversity. They are inclusive, but they are also relatable for the younger audiences in terms of the struggles or the emotions that they are going through. The characters are relatable. The characters are going through something very similar. And so it's easy, easy to identify, connect. And anime becomes a way of help. People find it as inspirational. People find it as comfort. So I think it's those three things. It is identity building, it helps with social connections and it is a form of self help for a lot of people.

[A]

I'm now thinking of the spider verse Movies in a different context. Because I think it works so well with Spider man because he is the most relatable of the superhero characters. Like he has real problems. He's just a kid. And that form, that medium works well. Like an anime style Superman movie. Don't think it would work as well.

[B]

I think that's a huge part of the characters in anime. Right. The other part of like why now is as anime has become this popular, as the fandom has grown, one of the things that we've seen is it is more a part of culture. Celebrities, sports personalities, artists. Right. All talk about their fandom and how anime has inspired who they are as a person and their craft. And so that has also brought it into a mainstream conversation. So fans that were not open to talking about their fandom now feel okay talking about.

[A]

Well, that's the whole Internet culture. Yeah. They had an anime or a manga night at Dodger Stadium that I was there for, which I thought was fun. Very mainstream. Although a lot of Dodgers fans are now Japanese. Yeah.

[B]

I think you're seeing that across the board. You're seeing. If you go to San Diego Comic Con, we host a two day anime music event and it is full. Right. You go to New York Comic Con, half of the convention is featuring anime shows and anime characters. So it is pretty much mainstream pop culture and it is huge.

[A]

So why isn't Sony making big budget anime movies for a global audience outside of Spider Verse, why are they taking these franchises like Demon Slayer that originate elsewhere and bring them here and then redub them? Sony could make its own anime movies.

[B]

We are actively working with our partners in Japan to produce shows and movies.

[A]

But those are movies that typically debut elsewhere. Right. I'm talking about something that would be under the Sony Pictures banner that would be a big budget. Like what is the anime version of Frozen or Zootopia Demon Slayer. I would argue that's what it is, but that just originates elsewhere.

[B]

Yeah. For anime, a lot of the IP comes from manga, the Japanese comic. Right. So I think that is their source and that connection back to Japan is really important for anime fans. Japanese way of storytelling, the Japanese creators method and approach to anime is a real part of what gives anime its authenticity. So I think Sony Pictures and us are very clear. Like we work with our Japanese partners to produce these shows to retain the authenticity, to keep that way of storytelling.

[A]

Yeah, the authenticity does matter.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Like did you see this new studio that the Saudis are doing where they bought some manga properties and owned some anime IP and they're now trying to get us producers to make movies based on this.

[B]

Yes, we are familiar with the company. We work with them because when they produce content, we also partner to acquire some of it for our own platform. Middle east is huge in terms of anime fandom. They've actually announced that they're building a theme park around some anime ip.

[A]

Oh yeah, Dragon Ball Z, right?

[B]

Dragon Ball Z, yes. And there just was esports World cup in Middle east where we actually had a pavilion, an anime pavilion that we hosted and sponsored. Huge attendance. So huge audience for anime in Middle East. So I'm not surprised. There is a lot of focus on serving that audience with content that's uniquely made for them.

[A]

I think in the wake of K Pop Demon Hunters, there is gonna be a rush on the streaming services. Do you agree that they're gonna all try to have their version of this? And I know that's a little different, you know, mixing in the K pop element and with the anime style animation. But like, do you think in a year or two we're gonna see more of these releases not just on Netflix but on all the services?

[B]

Yes, I think there will be a rush to serve this audience. Like I said, the audience is huge. They're young, they're passionate, they're willing to spend. So we're not surprised that more entertainment companies want to serve this audience. And so I agree there will be a rush to create content and bring content for this global audience.

[A]

Who's Crunchyroll's biggest competitor?

[B]

When we think of competition, our biggest competition is for competition of time with our audience.

[A]

No, but similar providers of doing what you do. Like who's number two in the market.

[B]

Globally, there are regional players that are pure play focused. Here in the US there is HiDive, which is part of AMC that is a pure play focused on anime.

[A]

AMC Theaters or AMC Entertainment. The networks.

[B]

AMC Entertainment. The networks. But almost all general entertainment platforms have anime.

[A]

Yeah, like everything. Netflix and YouTube is the biggest competitor. This episode is brought to you by Starz is Outlander Blood of My Blood, an epic tale of love, legacy and longing. Starring Hermione Corfield, Jeremy Irvine, Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy. Variety Rave's Blood of My Blood is lush, complex, beautifully shot and structured. And Los Angeles Times proclaims it's the ultimate period drama. Industry voters can access all [e-mail] this episode is brought to you by Sentimental Value, which isn't just the must see film of the season, it's the must feel film of the year from the director of the worst person in the world. Joachim Trier's story of love, family and reconciliation is being hailed by critics as one of the best films of the decade, if not ever. Starring Renate Reinsveh, Stellan Skarsgrd and Elle Fanning in career best performances. Sentimental Value is a modern masterpiece. See it in theaters now. So where do you see this business in five years? How big can this get? Is there a ceiling? Like I would have said maybe a couple years ago that the anime business has a ceiling. It will always be popular and maybe growing, and the accessibility of the content is gonna lead to more fandom. But given what we're seeing at the box office, it seems like there is a pretty big Runway here.

[B]

I agree. I think the opportunity and the Runway is huge. For example, there's 1.5 billion people outside of Japan and China that consider themselves to be anime fans. Anime curious, anime interested. That number is projected to grow to 2 billion by 2030. So that gives you a sense of the growth that we can expect over the next five years. Combining that with the fact that younger audiences, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are coming into this medium at a faster pace than the older generations. And when they get into the medium, they stick, right? Like for example, Gen Z and Millennials. More than half of that Gen Z and Millennial audiences have been anime fans for more than five to 10 years. So they're sticky. So all of those factors means this fandom is only going to get bigger.

[A]

If Sony ends up not being a huge player in this business, why will that be? What's the biggest hurdle?

[B]

The biggest hurdle for this business is, I think, twofold, right? Like one, we need to retain the authenticity of these stories so that it connects to audiences the way they have connected. So the question becomes, as this audience grows bigger globally, how do we serve their appetite? How do we bring enough content to meet all their needs? Given what's going on in Japan in terms of production constrained demographic changes, the biggest hurdle is going to can we keep up creating the kind of content, the authentic anime at scale to serve this audience? And I think a lot of the ecosystem, including us and Sony Group, are focused on making sure that that happens.

[A]

I remember when Sony bought Alamo Drafthouse, the theaters, a lot of the commentary around that was that this kind of fan driven niche theater chain might be a good fit to help promote Crunchyroll. Are you seeing those synergies there? Are you doing more with Alamo because of that?

[B]

There is a huge overlap between audiences that go to Alamo and that Watch anime on Crunchyroll or elsewhere. We have done a lot of campaigns, activations, including a program we've called, we call Anime Movie Nights, where the third Monday of the month, every third Monday of the month, we bring anime movies to theaters, about 200 theaters. And we started at Alamo Drafthouse and it was really successful. And so we continue to partner with them to activate on that audience where there's a huge overlap.

[A]

Well, it's an interesting business and I am in. I'm buying your stock.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Craig, are you in? Are you in on anime?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

A lot of my friends love a lot of anime shows, so definitely something.

[B]

That I want to watch more of.

[A]

And I know I sound like a complete Luddite on this and you know, everyone's gonna listen to this and be like, what a moron. Everybody knows anime is huge, but I didn't realize it was this big.

[C]

What age do people typically start to get involved with anime? Is that at a really young age? Like what type of demos do you have in terms of when people first watch anime?

[B]

We see fans coming in 8, 9, 10 years old. There's shows that are really popular in that. Like Naruto is a great example of a show where nine to 10 year olds get in. And it is really big with that.

[A]

What's it called?

[B]

Naruto.

[A]

Naruto.

[B]

Naruto.

[A]

All right, I'm gonna put it to the test. I've got a nine year old.

[B]

Yeah, I have a ten year old. And where is this?

[A]

Is this on Crunchyroll?

[B]

It's available on Crunchyroll.

[A]

All right, I'm going to have him watch it and I'm going to report back to you.

[B]

A lot of fans get introduced to anime through their friends and family. Right? I think the number is like 82%. Find it on social media, but very close find it through friends. And so people get into anime at different age groups. We see people that are in their early 20s getting introduced to really great shows like Demon Slayer or Chainsaw man or Solo leveling. So there's not necessarily one age group, but we do tend to see that 9 to 13 is really the biggest age group where fans enter into the fandom for the first time.

[A]

Hmm. It's too late for you, Craig.

[C]

Is there a challenge to market anime or Crunchyroll? I think there are probably a lot of people out there, maybe like Matt, who kind of hear anime and think, oh, that's not for me. Is there any way that you're trying to put anime in front of people? Who wouldn't typically watch it because. Because you think they might actually enjoy it if they do sit down and watch it.

[B]

Right now our focus is making sure that that set of fans who already know what anime is, they are watching anime to come experience it on Crunchyroll. That's our focus. So we are not focused on trying to create new anime fans, just given how big it is. But it happens naturally because when these shows become popular, they're in the mainstream conversation, new people get introduced to them and they get into anime. So we actually find it somewhat easier to reach this audience given their interest in anime and given their passion. We just have to do a good job of telling them what it is that we offer and why they should be watching on Crunchyroll.

[A]

Well, it's a fascinating business. I love having people on that do things that I am not as familiar with. It's a nice learning moment. So thank you for coming on Rule.

[B]

Thank you, Matt. Thank you for having me.

[A]

Today's call sheet is presented by Peacock. From 1972 to 1978, 33 young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried under their killer's house. And no one was the wiser. The new Peacock original limited series, Devil in John Wayne Gacy reveals the conflicting layers of Gacy's life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims. The LA Times calls it a compelling story about one of the darkest chapters in America's culture crime archives. All right, Craig, we are back with the call sheet. Where are you on the Running Man? Speaking of death again, where are you on a guy trying to outlast and win a billion dollars when everyone in the world is trying to kill him?

[C]

I'm not a huge fan of remakes generally. However, as the producer of the Rewatchables, we did do the Running Man a couple years ago. It is a movie and a concept that I like very much.

[A]

And you just had Glen Powell on the show.

[C]

We did. We had Glenn Powell on the rewatchables. He was great. I think if you are going to remake something, I think this is the type of IP that does not feel icky to remake.

[A]

Hmm. It's funny because the original Running man didn't do great in theaters. Like, people think of it now as this big movie, but, like, it was one of Arnold's lowest grossing movies at the time. And I remember when it came out, it was considered like a little bit over the top. Like, really? They're, like, coming after him to kill him. A little dark for the Arnold stuff.

[C]

It's also a Good example of like, Tron is the same thing. Right. It's like remaking movies that didn't make a ton of money. Or even like Blade Runner.

[A]

I know. Just because they are in the consciousness and people know what they are. I wonder what the Running Man IP means to general audiences today.

[C]

I'm not sure that matters, though. To me, this is just an original action movie starring Glen Powell, directed by Edgar Wright.

[A]

Sure. But to you. But the reason this movie gets made is because they can say it's the Running Man. Some people know what that is. And it's a, you know, it's a big test. I think it's a test for Glenn Powell. Tracking right now. NRG has it about 24. That's come down a little bit. Some have it lower, some have it higher. Let's put the line at 24. Where are you on the Running Man?

[C]

I think I'm going to take the slight over.

[A]

I don't know if I do. I am not doing that.

[C]

You taking the under?

[A]

I'm taking the under.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

As you know, I am. I love Glen Powell as a media personality. I am still not sold that he's a movie star. And I'm going to take the under.

[C]

Every movie he's in does well. Granted, it's Top Gun, it's Twisters, and it's a rom com, but all those movies did very well.

[A]

Yeah. Anyone but you. But, you know, Hitman, that was a Netflix movie.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know. I don't think he's been tested like this. He's selling this on him for a lot of people. Like, Paramount needs people to show up for him. And, you know, the reviews are like, not great. And it doesn't. It's not. It hasn't really been eventized. And I'm not sure he eventizes a movie. Maybe he will.

[C]

I think Edgar Wright and Glen Powell action movie is enough to give it a strong opening weekend. I don't think it's going to have great legs would be my prediction, but I think it could get there. Weekend one.

[A]

Okay. Well, it's up against the second weekend of Predator Badlands, which I think will take some money away from this movie. And Predator Badlands is pg 13, whereas Running man is R. It's also up against. Now you see me, now you don't. The third in the, I guess franchise scare quotes mine, the Ocean 11 knockoff.

[C]

But it's magic.

[A]

It's magic. This is what counts for a franchise. For Lionsgate, they do not have very many of them. And they decided that it's been nine years since the last one. Last one, directed by John Chu, actually had forgotten that the Last one did 22 million. It opened at 22 million. And these movies do very well overseas in particular. Like, the last one did, like almost 100 million in China, I believe. But the tracking for this one is at about 19. And I am also going to take the under.

[C]

Yeah, I think I'm going to take the under on this as well.

[A]

I mean, maybe it'll overperform, you know, Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, like, okay. I just feel like it's been a long time since the last one. And post Covid, you know, not. I don't know, man. This doesn't feel very theatrical to me, I think. I agree.

[C]

It's been nine years since the last one. This feels. This feels like a movie you could probably wait to see when it comes out on streaming. But going up against Predator and Running Man, I guess this would be the family option that you can bring your kids to.

[A]

Kids? More like girlfriend or boyfriend. Feels like date night. Yeah. Teens, maybe. I don't know. I've not seen the demos on the tracking, but if we have it at about 19, it's come down a little. I'm going to take the under.

[C]

So you're taking the under on both.

[A]

Yes. We'll see. I don't think it's going to be a great weekend. I think Predator will hold really strong because the reviews were good and people like that.

[C]

People love that movie.

[A]

Yes, yes. So that's going to be tougher for these ones. All right. Today's call sheet was presented by Peacock. Devil in disguise, John Wayne Gacy, which Roger Ebert calls an important watch, explores the grief, guilt and trauma of the victims loved ones and exposes the systemic failures that allowed Gacy's reign of terror. The Hollywood Reporter says Michael Chernis gives an impressively unsettling performance as John Wayne Gacy. Stream the critically acclaimed limited series now only on Peacock. Okay, that's the show for today. I want to thank my guest, Raul Ferrini, producer Frank Horbeck, editor Jesse Lopez, and I want to thank you. We'll see you next.