Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is Now The Highest Grossing Anime Movie Worldwide
It seems Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba just can't stop breaking records. The latest film in the franchise Demon Slayer Kimestu No Yaiba: Infinity Castle has already broken records in Japan, and has now gone on to do the same in the United States and the U.K. The film has now taken an estimated total of $555 million worldwide making it the highest-grossing anime film worldwide as well as the highest-grossing Japanese film worldwide. It is also currently the ninth highest-grossing film of the year worldwide, after surpassing Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The film opened in the U.S. at the top of the box-office chart, which is a pretty rare feat for an anime movie. But what is almost unheard of is that the film clung on for a second week- the first anime film to do so. In total, the film has taken $104,730,034, making it the highest-grossing anime feature (unadjusted for inflation), making it the highest-grossing anime to date, and the first to earn over $100 million.
The film earned $70,611,098 in its opening weekend, breaking the record for the biggest ever opening for an anime, unadjusted for inflation. It also broke the same record when adjusted for inflation by two different measures. The record was previously held by Pokémon: The First Movie with $31 million.
In the U.K., the film took £3.4 million, breaking the record for the biggest opening weekend for an anime film in the U.K. and Ireland. The film opened across nearly 500 screens with an average of £7K per screen, making it the highest-grossing film per screen average in its opening weekend. It landed at number two in the overall box-office top ten.
In Japan, it has taken over 33,056,606,000 yen (about $224 million), which is enough to make it the second highest-grossing film of all time at the Japanese box-office. It has now surpassed long-time box-office champ Spirited Away and is second only to the 2020 Demon Slayer movie Mugen Train.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba: Infinity Castle is the first part of a trilogy of films that will bring the Demon Slayer story to a close.
The new film sees hero Tanjiro come face-to-face with demon ruler Muza Kibutsuji, only to fall into the trap he has set for him. Finding himself in the demon's stronghold (the titular Infinity Castle), he and his friends must battle for their lives. The stage is set for the ultimate battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons.
The film is produced by ufotable and is directed by Haruo Sotozaki and Hikaru Kondo, and written by Hikaru Kondo, based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge. The first season aired in 2019, and was followed by the Mugen Train feature film. It was followed by a seven-episode arc that adapted the Mugen Train storyline, which was followed by The Entertainment District Arc, Swordsmith Village Arc and finally Yaiba Hashira Training Arc, which aired in 2024.
The series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba and the Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba: Mugen Train film are both available to stream on Crunchyroll.
