Crunchyroll’s 2027 Anime Slate Could Make It One of the Biggest Years Ever for Sony’s Theatrical Anime Push

Anime has officially become a legitimate box office force over the past two years, and few companies have capitalized on that shift quite as effectively as Crunchyroll. Following the record-breaking success of ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle’ and ‘Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc,’ the streamer has clearly identified a formula that works, and it’s doubling down hard heading into next year.

That strategy became fully apparent at Anime Expo 2026, where Crunchyroll unveiled a genuinely stacked lineup of theatrical projects built around some of its biggest current franchises. Between a new ‘Solo Leveling’ film, the next chapter of the ‘Demon Slayer’ trilogy, and a fresh Type-Moon adaptation, the streamer appears to be positioning 2027 as a potential landmark year for anime at the global box office.

According to reports, Crunchyroll is set to release at least four major anime films in 2027, with the roster including ‘Witch on the Holy Night’ on January 29, ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle II’ reportedly eyeing a September 18 window, and ‘Solo Leveling: Beyond the System’ targeting an October release, with a fourth title still to be confirmed.

The ‘Demon Slayer’ franchise enters 2027 riding an extraordinary wave of momentum. The first ‘Infinity Castle’ film became one of the most successful international theatrical releases of all time in the U.S., and it’s already been recognized as the Crunchyroll Anime Award winner for Film of the Year. The trilogy’s second installment remains in production with no officially confirmed release date, though studio ufotable’s continued silence on specifics means any September window should currently be treated as speculative rather than locked in.

Meanwhile, ‘Solo Leveling: Beyond the System’ has generated substantial buzz of its own since its July 2026 announcement. The film serves as a direct continuation of the anime’s second season, bridging the story toward an eventual Season 3 while diving deeper into the psychological toll of protagonist Sung Jinwoo’s transformation. Animated by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tao Tajima, with a score from composer Hiroyuki Sawano, the project arrives as ‘Solo Leveling’ sits at a genuine commercial peak, having become the first series in Crunchyroll’s history to surpass one million platform ratings.

Crunchyroll is releasing four* major anime films next year, they may give Sony some of 2027’s biggest global hits: • WITCH ON HOLLY LAND — January 29 • DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE 2 — September 18 (TBC) • SOLO LEVELING: BEYOND THE SYSTEM — October (TBC). *4th film TBC https://t.co/Huc3RGlOX1

— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) September 15, 2026

Unlike the still-uncertain ‘Demon Slayer’ sequel timeline, ‘Witch on the Holy Night’ already has a confirmed release. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced the film will hit U.S. and Canadian theaters starting January 29, 2027, giving fans the earliest concrete date among this entire slate. The project comes from the same animation studio behind the ‘Demon Slayer’ films, continuing ufotable’s reputation for delivering visually stunning theatrical adaptations.

Industry observers have already speculated that ‘Solo Leveling: Beyond the System’ could pose a genuine challenge to ‘Infinity Castle’s’ dominance as the biggest anime movie ever released, given the franchise’s explosive global popularity and the film’s promise to tackle the fan-favorite Double Dungeon arc from the original web novel and manhwa.

With a fourth major film still unannounced and multiple confirmed heavy hitters already locked into the calendar, Crunchyroll’s 2027 slate looks poised to build directly on the momentum that made 2025 and 2026 such transformative years for anime’s presence in mainstream theaters. If even a couple of these projects come close to replicating ‘Infinity Castle’s’ success, Sony could be looking at one of its most lucrative theatrical years yet.

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