News

1st Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Film Has Biggest U.S. Opening Ever for Anime Film

Entertainment news website Variety reported on Saturday that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai, the first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy, has earned an estimated US$33 million as of Friday (including US$11.4 million in Thursday preview screenings) in 3,315 locations in the U.S., and is currently ranked #1 at the U.S. box office. The film has already broken the record for the biggest opening weekend for an anime film in the U.S., previously held by Pokémon: The First Movie (Pocket Monsters: Mewtwo Strikes Back) in 1999, which earned US$31 million (the film opened on a Wednesday, two days before the three-day weekend box office frame).

Additionally, the film has surpassed the 2022 Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero anime film's combined preview and opening day earnings record for an anime film of US$10 million. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai currently has an estimated US$315 million in worldwide earnings.

In comparison, Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train earned US$9.5 million on its first day at the U.S. box office.

Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Aniplex began screening the first film in theaters, including IMAX and other premium large screen formats, in the United States and Canada on Friday. The film is screening in Japanese with English subtitles and with an English dub.

The English dub for the film has cast actor Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street) as Keizo and Rebecca Wang as Koyuki.

The first film opened in Japan on July 18. The film is playing on 443 screens (a franchise record) throughout Japan, including IMAX screenings. Outside Japan, Aniplex aims for the new film to play in over 150 countries and regions, which is wider than the franchise's previous world tour of over 145 countries and regions.

The film has so far sold 22,007,405 tickets for a cumulative total of 31,425,916,900 yen (about US$213 million). This makes the film the fastest film in Japan to reach 30 million yen (about US$203 million), reaching the milestone in 46 days. Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train held the previous record, reaching the milestone in 59 days.

The film has surpassed Titanic to become the #3 highest-earning film of all time in Japan. The film is likely to surpass Spirited Away in Japan in the coming days.

Haruo Sotozaki is directing the anime at ufotable, and ufotable is also credited for the screenplay. Aimer is performing the song "Taiyō ga Noboranai Sekai" ("A World Where the Sun Never Rises"), and LiSA is performing the song "Zankoku no Yoru ni Kagayake" ("Shine in the Cruel Night").

Sources: Variety (J. Kim Murphy), Box Office Mojo