It was breaking records overseas, in its debut weekend the first part of the Infinity Castle trilogy shattered box office records in North America, earning USD $70,611,098 in its opening weekend at #1 at the U.S. box office. Another record it broke was for the biggest opening weekend for an anime film in the U.S. — unadjusted for inflation, it also broke the same record even when adjusted for inflation by two different measures, according to Anime News Network.
The previous holder was the 1999 anime film, Pokémon the First Movie, which previously held the biggest opening weekend record at USD $31 million. Looking at the numbers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Akaza Sairai (The Return of Akaza)’s opening weekend numbers, on Friday it earned USD $32,984,325 (including USD $11.4 million in Thursday preview screenings), USD $21,610,856 on Saturday, and USD $16,015,917 on Sunday, in 3,315 locations in the U.S.
When we compare those numbers to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Mugen Train, it earned USD $9.5 million on its first day at the U.S. box office, and earned USD $22,515,000 in 3,073 theaters in its opening weekend in 2021. At that time, it was the second biggest U.S. opening weekend, but it has now been pushed down to third. The first Infinity Castle film even surpassed another Shonen Anime film, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, combined preview and opening day earnings record for an anime film of USD $10 million.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Akaza Sairai (The Return of Akaza) debuted in theaters across Japan on July 18, It has accomplished a new record by playing in 443 screens, including IMAX screenings. Outside Japan, Aniplex aimed 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. It is the fastest film in Japan to reach 30 billion 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.
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Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba was first serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine from February 2016 to May 2020, with its chapters collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. It has been published in English by Viz Media and simultaneously on the Manga Plus platform by Shueisha. By February 2021, the manga had over 150 million copies in circulation, including digital versions, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Since its debut, it has inspired four manga spin-offs, three light novel adaptations, two fan books, and an Art Book. It also inspired a TV Anime with three compilation films and two films (one of which will be debuting in theaters on July 18th). Five Stageplays, and Video Games. You can stream the anime now on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu.
Tanjiro Kamado, determined to restore his demon-turned sister Nezuko to humanity, joins the Demon Slayer Corps. Alongside comrades Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, Tanjiro battles formidable demons, growing stronger and forming unbreakable bonds.
In previous arcs, Tanjiro fought alongside elite Hashira warriors: the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku in Mugen Train, the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui in Entertainment District, and the Mist and Love Hashira—Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji—in Swordsmith Village.
During the intensive Hashira Training to prepare for the ultimate showdown against the demons, the demon lord Muzan Kibutsuji infiltrates the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, the Ubuyashiki Estate. As the Hashira and Tanjiro rush to protect their leader, they are suddenly cast into a mysterious dimension.
Source: Anime News Network
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