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

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.

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.

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]

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

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.