Introduction to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Film: Infinity Castle
At Japan’s box office this weekend, all eyes will be on the performance of a highly anticipated title – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Film: Infinity Castle. The animated feature not only starts a highly expected trilogy of films but will also follow Japan’s highest film of all time, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Film: Mugen Zug. Published on July 18 by Aniplex and Toho and produced by Studio Ufotable, there is little doubt that Infinity Castle will be among the top-class films from 2025 in Japan, where anime rules the box office based on the popular franchise.
Background of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Film: Mugen Zug
Mugen Zug benefited from special circumstances when it was published in October 2020. Apart from the popularity of the Demon Slayer Manga and an associated television series that was broadcast in 2019, the success of the cash register was partially attributed to the increased demand for cinemas due to pandemic-related restrictions, which were lifted shortly before the film was published. It took $274 million (40.43 billion yen) at the box office and broke the record of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, which earned $214 million (31.68 billion yen) in 2001. Worldwide, Mugen Zug made $507 million, of which almost $50 million came from the United States, where it was classified as the second-highest Japanese anime film ever.
Competition and Release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Film: Infinity Castle
After several seasons of the follow-up TV anime, Infinity Castle is opening in a normal film environment and competing with summer blockbuster hits like the latest release Superhuman and Jurassic World Rebirth (opened on August 8th) and domestic hit Hello. Under the direction of Haruo Sotozaki and based on the original manga of Koyoharu Gotoge, the upcoming film follows the ongoing adventures of Tanjiro Kamado, a young man who devoted himself to monster slaying as part of the Demon Slayer Corps after his younger sister was converted into one. The trilogy will complete the adaptation of the manga published from 2016 to 2020 and follows Tanjiro and his fellow slayers to the stronghold of demons – the Infinity Castle.
Screen Thrust
Despite the competitive environment, Infinity Castle opens on more screens than its predecessor: 443 screens compared to 403. Of these, 51 will be IMAX, a heir from Mugen Zug. According to Richardson Handjaja, founder of the anime industry newsletter Anime Business Newsletter, success in a large screen format is expected. "IMAX was still relatively new for Japan [in 2020]," says Handjaja. "IMAX has really made a big investment in Japanese films in recent years, and I think Mugen Zug helped that." Four new IMAX laser screens are to be opened in Japan on July 18 and coincide with the opening of Infinity Castle.
International Introduction
Infinity Castle will be released on September 12 on Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment in important markets such as North America and the UK/Ireland. The two-month gap between the Japanese and western releases is significantly shorter than Mugen Zug, which was released by Aniplex of America in North America six months after its local debut. "Back when Mugen Zug was released, Sony had not yet acquired Crunchyroll," says Handjaja. "Now the difference is the marketing engine behind Crunchyroll, the fact that all Demon Slayer content as a brand can lead traffic to screenings. In all markets where Crunchyroll is growing, such as India and Brazil, they will probably see a lot more traffic."
Anime Growth
While Mugen Zug remains the second-highest anime film in the USA after the 2000s Pokemon: The First Film, subsequent releases such as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which lasted 28 million dollars in 2022, and The Boy and the Heron, which recorded $46 million in 2023, showed a growing appetite for anime films outside of Japan. At the beginning of this month, Netflix announced that anime viewers on its platform had tripled over the past five years and are now watched by more than 50% of subscribers. "We may not see as much income from Japan for Infinity Castle," says Handjaja, "but you will definitely see that international income is increasing because Demon Slayer is now a much more global property." Crunchyroll will be hosting an Infinity Castle panel on the San Diego Comic-Con on July 26 with a special presentation with film guests, surprises, and exclusive footage from the film – the first time the international audience will see it outside of Japan. The guests include director Sotozaki and lead voice actor Natsuki Hanae.
