Demon Slayer may break 26-year box office record

The first box office predictions for Demon Slayer Infinity Castle indicate that the final part of the Demon Slayer trilogy is on track to make history, surpassing an anime record that has stood for over a quarter of a century. The expectation is that the film Demon Slayer will dethrone Pokemon: The First Movie, which holds the record for the highest opening box office for an anime film in the USA for 26 years.

According to Deadline, estimates indicate that Demon Slayer Infinity Castle could gross between $35 million and $60 million in its opening weekend in the USA. For reference, the record for Pokemon: The First Movie, from 1999, is $31 million (without inflation adjustment). The previous box office opening for the Demon Slayer franchise, with Mugen Train in 2020, was already impressive, grossing $21 million in a cinema landscape impacted by COVID-19.

The achievements of Demon Slayer Infinity Castle are not limited to the western market. In Japan, the film has already broken the record for the highest single-day box office and the highest weekend box office in the country's history. It also surpassed Spirited Away to become the second highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, behind only Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.

The film Demon Slayer Infinity Castle, which follows the final saga of Tanjiro and his Hashira allies against Muzan Kibutsuji and his Upper Moon demons, arrives in cinemas in the USA and the UK on September 12. Predictions point to a record-breaking release, further solidifying Demon Slayer's status as a giant of modern animation.