Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Set to Become Biggest Anime Film in US History
If Infinity Castle succeeds at the US box office as projected, it would demonstrate that the anime audience in North America has grown large enough to rival mainstream theatrical franchises, a milestone no anime film has reached since Pokémon in 1999.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime By The Numbers.
Crunchyroll is releasing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle on over 3,300 screens in North America, six times the average for an anime release over the past decade. According to Anime By The Numbers, even the most conservative estimates project the film will become the highest-grossing anime movie in US history by box office receipts. The previous record holder among anime films in the US is Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, which earned $85 million in 1999. The prior Demon Slayer film, Mugen Train, earned just under $50 million in 2021, helped by its timing as the first wide anime release after COVID lockdowns. Infinity Castle has already broken records internationally: it is the second-highest grossing film in Japanese box office history, the best-performing animated film ever in Taiwan, and the third best-performing animated film in South Korea. The newsletter notes that Crunchyroll and GKIDS have recently pushed for longer theatrical runs for anime, with Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye nearly doubling its box office after opening weekend. Deadline is cited reporting that anime moviegoers buy tickets upfront and attend early, with little walk-up business.
Crunchyroll's theatrical rollout for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is unprecedented for an anime film in North America. The 3,300+ screen count is six times the average for anime releases over the last decade, signaling a major bet on the franchise's drawing power. Anime By The Numbers notes that most anime films historically receive narrow releases of under 600 screens, with exceptions like GKIDS' Studio Ghibli Fest re-runs. The newsletter contrasts Infinity Castle's prospects with the all-time US anime box office leader, Pokémon: The First Movie, which earned $85 million in 1999 during the peak of 'Pokémania.' Mugen Train, the previous Demon Slayer film, earned just under $50 million in 2021, benefiting from its release timing after COVID lockdowns and the surge in anime viewership during that period. The newsletter also highlights changing release strategies: Crunchyroll and GKIDS have recently kept anime films in theaters longer, as seen with Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye, which nearly doubled its box office after opening weekend. Deadline is cited for the observation that anime moviegoers tend to buy tickets in advance and attend early, with minimal walk-up traffic, a pattern shaped by historically tight one-day-only release windows.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime By The Numbers Can Demon Slayer Reach Pikachu’s Heights in America?