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Demon Slayer Stays at #1 for 4th Weekend, Monster Strike Film Opens at #6

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train stayed at #1 for its fourth weekend. The film earned 1,772,925,900 yen (about US$16.854 million) during the weekend and it sold 1.296 million tickets from Saturday to Sunday. The film has sold 15.37 million tickets to earn over 20,483,611,650 yen (about US$197 million). It is now the fifth highest-earning film of all time in Japan, surpassing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone's 20.3 billion yen gross, and becoming the third highest-earning anime film of all time in Japan.

The film opened on October 16 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) in its opening day alone, making it the highest weekday opening day in Japan ever.

The film 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.

The Eiga Precure Miracle Leap: Minna to Fushigi na 1-nichi (Everyone and the Mysterious One Day) anime film dropped from #3 to #4 in its second weekend. The film earned 53,221,550 yen (about US$506,000) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 233,786,570 yen (about US$2.22 million).

The film ranked at #3 and earned earned 107,952,960 yen (about US$1.03 million) over its opening weekend.

The film was originally slated to open on March 20, but was delayed to May 16 in order to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It was then delayed to October 31.

The Monster Strike The Movie: Lucifer Zetsubō no Yoake (Lucifer Dawn of Despair) film ranked at #6 in its opening weekend.

The film had been rescheduled from June to a November 6 opening, after a delay to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Kobun Shizuno (Detective Conan films) directed the movie at Anima and Dynamo Pictures, and Masaya Honda (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) wrote the script. Masayoshi Ōishi contributed the film's theme song "Eiyū no Uta" (Heroes' Song).

Kyoto Animation's Violet Evergarden: The Movie anime film dropped from #7 to #10 in its eighth weekend. The film earned 25,165,900 yen (about US$239,300) from Friday to Sunday. The film has earned 1,755,561,700 yen (about US$16.4 million) and has sold 1.2 million tickets. The film will be the first new Japanese anime film (as opposed to compilation films) to open in Dolby Cinemas when it starts playing on those screens on November 13.

The film opened in Japan on September 18, and it ranked at #2 in its opening weekend.

The film's official website announced on April 6 that Kyoto Animation postponed the film's opening in Japan due to concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The film was slated to open in Japan on April 24. This was the second delay for the film, as it was originally slated for a January 10, 2020 opening in Japan.

The franchise's separate side-story anime, titled Violet Evergarden I: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Eien to Jidō Shuki Ningyō), opened in theaters in Japan last September, and it screened for at least five weeks. The film eventually earned a cumulative total of 831 million yen (about US$7.90 million). Netflix debuted the anime on April 2.

The live-action film of Ipyao and Yūjirō Koyama's Tonkatsu DJ Agetarō manga dropped off the top 10 in its second weekend, but the film still earned 20,866,910 yen (about US$198,400) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 148,356,520 yen (about US$1.41 million).

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin, Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC