Latest Hit Anime Movie Release Beats Miyazaki’s Box Office Record After 24 Years

The first movie in the new Demon Slayer trilogy, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, has broken records at the Japanese box office, surpassing one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most famous films, Spirited Away.

The Studio Ghibli classic had held the second spot in Japan for decades, but Infinity Castle has now become the fastest Japanese film to earn $214 million domestically.

So far, Infinity Castle has earned $272 million and has an IMDb rating of 8.7, slightly higher than Spirited Away, which sits at 8.6 with $360 million worldwide. The movie only trails behind 2020’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which shows why Miyazaki considers the franchise a strong rival.

The film is set to release in the United States this weekend, with Channing Tatum starring in the English dub. Sony is predicting an opening weekend of around $35 million, but some independent trackers expect the number could go above $40 million, according to The Wrap. Box Office Pro has even suggested that the movie could reach $60 million in its first weekend.

If it crosses the $40 million mark, Infinity Castle would break the record set by Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back, which made $31 million from Friday to Sunday and $51 million over five days.

With its current earnings, the film has a strong chance of entering the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year. This list is currently led by films like Ne Zha 2, F1, and Superman.

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