Crunchyroll Sets Sights on Oscar for Latest Anime Hit
Crunchyroll is campaigning for an Oscar nomination for its latest anime blockbuster, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. The movie has generated massive hype, and the streaming giant believes it deserves recognition for its animation and storytelling.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini emphasized the film’s quality and the dedication of its fans. “We think the movie is incredible — the animation, the story, the quality on all fronts. So yes, the fans absolutely deserve for the movie to be considered for awards,” he said.
Purini added that the company would support the film to ensure it is considered in all eligible categories. “We’ll do our part to make sure it gets the right level of support to be considered in all of the categories it could be eligible for.”
The movie’s popularity is not just hype. In just 12 days at the U.S. box office, it showed strong performance and broke multiple records worldwide.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a Japanese animated dark fantasy action film based on the “Infinity Castle” arc from Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
It directly follows the fourth season of the anime and previous feature-length adaptations, including Mugen Train (2020), To the Swordsmith Village (2023), and To the Hashira Training (2024). Unlike some of the previous adaptations, which were compilations of anime episodes, Infinity Castle is a full-length movie covering the arc in depth. It is also the first part of a trilogy announced in June 2024.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, produced by Ufotable, and written by the studio’s staff, the movie premiered in Japan on July 18, under Aniplex and Toho. Crunchyroll released it through Sony Pictures Releasing in select Asian countries in August and expanded to other territories the following month.
#NEWS @Crunchyroll is bringing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle to theatres in 2025! pic.twitter.com/sIUJACg3GO
— Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (English) (@DemonSlayerUSA) December 8, 2024
The film has earned $556 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film in Japan for 2025, the highest-grossing Japanese film worldwide, and one of the top-grossing films of the year overall. Critics have largely praised the movie for its exciting action, stunning visuals, and compelling story, though some noted minor pacing issues.
With its combination of strong fan support, high-quality animation, and record-breaking box office performance, Crunchyroll believes Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has a real chance at receiving Oscar recognition.
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