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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Film Is 1st Since 2004 to Top Box Office for 10 Straight Weekends

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train stayed at #1 for its 10th weekend. It sold 282,000 tickets over the weekend and earned 390,415,450 yen (about US$3.77 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has now sold a total of 23,175,884 tickets to earn 31,166,647,900 yen (about US$301 million) in 66 days.

The film is the first to top the Japanese box office for 10 straight weekends since Kōgyō Tsūshin began publishing the Japanese rankings in 2004. Three films previously ranked #1 for nine straight weekends: Howl's Moving Castle in 2004, Avatar in 2009, and Your Name in 2016.

The film is only 520 million yen (about US$5.03 million) away from surpassing Hayao Miyazaki's 2002 Spirited Away, its last rival for all-time highest earnings in Japanese box office history. (Spirited Away earned 30.8 billion yen in its original run, but has since earned a total of 31.68 billion yen after this summer's revival screenings.)

Oricon projects that since Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train added about 900 million yen (about US$9 million) this past week, it may be able to surpass Spirited Away this week. Mugen Train will begin holding immersive MX4D and 4DX screenings on Saturday, December 26.

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train began screening in 38 IMAX theaters in Japan on October 16. The film 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.

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 live-action film of Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu's The Promised Neverland manga sold 219,000 tickets and earned 287,541,600 yen (about US$2.7 million) to rank #3 in its opening weekend. The film earned 373,372,850 yen (about US$3.6 million) in its first three days. The film opened last Friday.

Yūichirō Hirakawa (live-action ERASED film, live-action Rookies series) directed the film. Noriko Gotou penned the film's script. Hirakawa and Gotou worked together on the live-action Erased film.

Shirai and Demizu launched The Promised Neverland manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in August 2016, and ended it on June 15.

An anime adaptation premiered in January 2019. Aniplex of America streamed the anime on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation, and HIDIVE as it aired. Toonami began airing the anime in April 2019. A second season of the anime was scheduled to premiere in October, but is delayed to January 7 due to the effect of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the production.

The Stand By Me Doraemon 2 CG anime film dropped from #3 to #4 in its fifth weekend, and it earned 118,872,850 (about US$1.15 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has now earned a cumulative total of 1,986,991,900 yen (about US$19.22 million).

The film sold 305,000 tickets and earned 386 million yen (about US$3.69 million) to rank at #2 in its opening weekend. The film opened in Japan on November 20. The film was originally slated to open in Japan on August 7 until it was delayed due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The film's story is largely be based on the franchise's 2000 film Doraemon: Obāchan no Omoide (Doraemon: A Grandmother's Recollections), but adds original elements, including the love story of Shizuka and Nobita that was also present in the previous Stand By Me Doraemon film. The 2000 film, in turn, was based on a chapter from the fourth manga volume.

Ryūichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki returned from the first film as directors, and Yamazaki once again penned the script. Masaki Suda performed the film's theme song "Niji" (Rainbow). The first Stand By Me Doraemon film was the first 3D CG film in the franchise, and it eventually earned 8.38 billion yen (about US$77.16 million) in Japan and over 10 billion yen worldwide (about US$90 million).

The Gekijō Tanpen Kamen Rider Saber: Fushichō no Kenshi to Hametsu no Hon and Kamen Rider Zero-One Real xTime ranked at #5 in its opening weekend.

Wandering: Agateram, the first film in the two-part Fate/Grand Order The Movie Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot (Fate/Grand Order Shinsei Entaku Ryōiki Camelot) film project, dropped from #6 to #9 by tickets sold in its third weekend. The film earned 32,057,000 yen (about US$310,100) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 367,977,398 yen (about US$3.55 million).

The film ranked at #4 in its opening weekend. The film earned 171,510,198 yen (about US$1.64 million) in its opening weekend.

The film opened in Japan last Friday. The film had been delayed from its August 15 opening, due to the effects of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on its production.

Paladin: Agateram, the second film, will open next spring. Both films adapt the "Dai Roku Tokuiten Shinsei Entaku Ryōiki: Camelot" (Order VI: The Sacred Round Table Realm: Camelot) story from the game.

The films star Mamoru Miyano as Bedivere, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Rie Takahashi as Mash Kyrielight. Kei Suezawa (FLCL Progressive) directed the first film, and Kazuto Arai (FLCL Progressive) is directing the second film. Production I.G. produced the film project. Signal.MD is animating the first film, and Production I.G is animating the second film. Ukyō Kodachi (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace note, Chaos Dragon) wrote the first film's script.

KlockWorx and Khara's 4DX screening of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the third Rebuild of Evangelion film, ranked at #10 by tickets sold in its opening weekend. The film earned 44,816,700 yen (about US$433,600) from Friday to Sunday.

The film opened last Friday. The first film's 4DX screenings opened on December 4, and the second film's 4DX screenings opened on December 11. All three screenings will end on December 24.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :|| (Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time), the fourth film, is delayed due to concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its spread inside and outside of Japan. The film was scheduled to open in Japan on June 27, but will now open on January 23.

The double-screening anime of Naomi Guren's Marudase Kintarō (Kintarō Bares it All) boys-love manga and the anime of Michi Ichiho's Yes, No, or Maybe? (Yes ka No ka Hanbun ka) boys-love light novel series dropped from #3 to #4 in the mini-theater rankings in their second weekend.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), Eiga.com, comScore via KOFIC