Sony Pictures Entertainment closed out its fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 with sales essentially flat at roughly $9.92 billion, as strength in anime and the Crunchyroll subscription business offset a significant one-time loss tied to the shutdown of its visual effects unit Pixomondo.
Operating income for the full year fell 11 percent to $687 million, down from $763 million the prior year, the company announced in Tokyo on Friday. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the drop was driven almost entirely by a non-recurring, non-cash impairment charge from winding down Pixomondo, which Sony acquired in 2022. The company shut down Pixomondo to consolidate visual effects work at Sony Pictures Imageworks, headquartered in Vancouver, a shift toward more incentive-friendly production in Canada. Strip out that charge and operating income actually rose 11 percent to $858 million.
The top theatrical performer for the year was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, which earned $354 million during the fiscal period and topped out at more than $740 million worldwide across its full theatrical run. GOAT followed with $183 million, 28 Years Later earned $151 million, and Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc brought in $118 million, eventually reaching $174 million worldwide. Three of the four top performers were animated titles, reinforcing what the Hollywood Reporter described as "the rising popularity globally of Japanese anime."
The anime and streaming side of the business showed clear momentum. Crunchyroll saw paid subscriber growth contribute meaningfully to results, and the company ended the fiscal year with 531.7 million total subscribers across 38 television channels. Sony's media networks division, which includes TV channels and digital channels, climbed 13 percent in revenue to $3.17 billion.
The television production unit also had a strong year, with revenue rising 12 percent to $3.39 billion. Productions in the period included Netflix's The Night Agent, Apple TV's For All Mankind, Starz's Outlander, Hulu's Red Eye, and Peacock's Days of Our Lives.
The motion pictures division, however, saw full year revenue fall 18 percent to $3.28 billion from $4.01 billion, even with 17 films released in the period. Beyond the anime hits, the studio struggled on the live-action side. The Wrap reported that the horror sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple grossed just $58.5 million worldwide, less than half the total of its predecessor.
The results arrive roughly one month after SPE announced a major restructuring that resulted in hundreds of layoffs. The company said it would refocus around its highest-growth intellectual property, including PlayStation game adaptations, the Crunchyroll anime wing, and its consolidated game show division, which includes Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Film and TV adaptations of PlayStation games were named a top priority going forward.
In the fiscal fourth quarter alone, income rose 36 percent to $268 million and revenue jumped 31 percent to $3.01 billion compared to the third quarter, offering some momentum heading into the new fiscal year.
