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Demon Slayer Film Becomes #1 All-Time IMAX Film in Japan

Entertainment news website Deadline reported on Monday that the Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train anime's IMAX screenings are now the highest-earning IMAX screenings in Japan, having earned the equivalent of US$14.2 million in 30 days. The earnings outperform the previous IMAX #1 Bohemian Rhapsody, which took 135 days to reach US$13 million in Japan.

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train began screening in 38 IMAX theaters in Japan on October 16. The film has sold a total of 17,505,285 tickets for a cumulative earning of 23,349,291,050 yen (about US$223 million) as of Sunday, November 15, after 31 days in theaters in Japan.

The film was already the seventh highest-earning film worldwide in 2020, when Japan's box office totals are combined with Taiwan's. (The film's box office totals in Japan alone made it the eighth highest-earning film worldwide this year as of the previous weekend.) The film was also the fifth highest-earning film outside the United States and the second highest-earning animated film of the year worldwide. The only 2020 animated film to earn more so far is the Chinese film Legend of Deification with the equivalent of US$240,577,111. Demon Slayer is well above the #3 animated film of 2020 worldwide, Pixar's Onward (US$141,494,520).

Depending on this past weekend's box office totals in China and Taiwan, Demon Slayer is poised to top Legend of Deification as the highest-grossing animated film worldwide in 2020.

Last week, the film became the fifth highest-earning film of all time in Japan, surpassing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's 20.3 billion-yen gross. Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train also became the third highest-earning anime film of all time in Japan, below 2001's Spirited Away (30.8 billion yen) and 2016's your name. (25.03 billion yen).

The film debuted at #1 in its opening weekend, and had the highest opening weekend globally for the October 16-18 weekend. The film sold 3,424,930 tickets and earned 4,623,117,450 yen (about US$43.85 million) in Japan in its first three days. The film sold 910,507 tickets and earned over 1,268,724,700 yen (about US$12.03 million) on its opening day alone, making it the highest weekday opening day in Japan ever.

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train sold 1,270,234 tickets and earned 1,701,723,350 yen (about US$16.14 million) on its second day. It sold 1,239,752 tickets and earned 1,652,669,400 yen (about US$15.67 million) on its third day. The Saturday and Sunday totals combined are Japan's highest weekend opening ever.

The main staff members of the previous television anime returned for the sequel film. TOHO and Aniplex are handling the film's distribution in Japan. Funimation and Aniplex of America will screen the film in theaters in North America in early 2021.

Source: Deadline (Nancy Tartaglione)