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Japanese Cinemas Lift COVID-19 Seating Restrictions For Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Film's 1st Weekend
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Theater chain TOHO CINEMAS announced last week that it is lifting its seating restrictions across all of its theaters for October 16 to 18. Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-Hen) will open in Japan on October 16.
Seating restrictions in Japanese theaters were first implemented in May to facilitate social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns. In September, the Japanese government approved measures to ease restrictions on seating at stage and film theaters. Theaters have been allowed to host screenings that sell seats at full capacity since September 19, although eating is only allowed at screenings where audiences are capped at 50%.
For the upcoming weekend, the theaters will temporarily allow full audiences. Drinks will be sold at the theaters, but visitors are forbidden from eating food during the screenings. All visitors are asked to wear a face mask and refrain from engaging in conversation while at the venue.
Individual theaters across Japan have also announced similar measures for the weekend, including branches for the Korona Cinema World, T-Joy cinemas, and Humax groups.
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train is a sequel film to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba television anime, which premiered in April 2019. TOHO and Aniplex are handling the film's distribution in Japan. Funimation Films is partnering with Aniplex of America to release it in theaters in North America in 2021.
Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga debuted in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in February 2016, and ended on May 18. Shueisha shipped the manga's 21st compiled book volume on July 3. With this new volume, the franchise has more than 80 million copies in circulation.
Source: Toho Cinemas
