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Japanese anime film Demon Slayer becomes highest-grossing movie in South Korea in 2025

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- The Movie: Infinity Castle," the latest feature in the hit Japanese animation franchise, has become the top-grossing film in South Korea so far this year, according to its distributor Saturday.

According to Animax Broadcasting Korea, the film has drawn a cumulative 5.638 million moviegoers as of Friday, topping the country's previous No. 1 film, "Zombie Daughter," which recorded 5.637 million admissions.

It marked the first time an animated title has topped South Korea's annual box-office rankings. While foreign animations have set major box-office records, such as "Frozen 2," which sold 13.36 million tickets in 2019, none has reached No. 1 for the year.

Based on the comic and TV animation of the same name, the latest "Demon Slayer" movie is the first installment of a planned three-part finale to the series.

Since opening in South Korea on Aug. 22, the film reached 1 million viewers within two days and surpassed the 3 million mark on its 10th day of screening, recording the fastest pace among all movies released this year.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: The Infinity Castle” claimed the top spot at the Korean box office, highlighting a major shift in the market as viewers turn away from lackluster Korean blockbusters in favor of immersive animated spectacles, according to industry analysts, Sunday.

As of Saturday, the animated feature recorded 5,641,537 admissions, officially overtaking "My Daughter is a Zombie," which saw 5,637,455, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

This signals a new reality for the local film industry, showing audience standards for selecting films have fundamentally changed.

"The ticket price hike after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the game. Audiences no longer visit theaters for a decent story. Instead, they go for a spectacle they cannot watch on a smartphone," an official from a local film marketing company said.

Speaking of the success of “Demon Slayer,” film critics and industry officials have said the animated feature has succeeded in providing audiences with a visual and auditory feast unlike recent domestic films. The movie's optimization for special formats like IMAX also helped justify increased ticket prices.

Another Japanese animated film, “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc," based on Tatsuki Fujimoto's comic series "Chainsaw Man," is also being received well at the box office, drawing over 3.24 million viewers as of Saturday.

Released on Sept. 24, the animated feature currently ranks fifth among Japanese animated films released in Korea, trailing the 2016 hit animation "Your Name," which drew 3.96 million viewers.

Korean films falter

In contrast, domestic movies, especially big-budget movies, are struggling to satisfy audience’s expectations.

"Omniscient Reader," a Korean fantasy movie based on the popular web novel, failed to meet market expectations as the big-budget movie wrapped up its theatrical release, bringing in just over 1 million moviegoers since July.

Produced with a budget of over 30 billion won ($20.4 million), the film needed to attract at least 6 million viewers to break even. However, it struggled at the box office, facing criticism that its visual effects fell short and it failed to capture the essence of the original novel.

The rise of Japanese animation at the Korean box office shows that established content backed by strong fandom and high-quality production can garner more ticket sales than A-list actors.

While domestic films struggled to break even despite aggressive marketing campaigns featuring top-tier celebrities, “Demon Slayer" thrived on the loyalty of its fan base and the strength of its content.

It remains to be seen whether the trend will continue. Despite disappointing results for local movies recently, a slate of highly anticipated Korean content is scheduled for release in the coming year.

Director Kim Bo-sol's "The Square," which won the Contrechamp Jury Award at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is set for release in January. Additionally, big-name projects, including Ryoo Seung-wan's "Humint" and Na Hong-jin's "Hope," are also slated to hit the big screen in 2026.