On the Japan field workplace this weekend, all eyes might be on the efficiency of 1 title – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Film: Infinity Citadel.
Not solely will the animated function kick off a highly-anticipated trilogy of movies, it would additionally comply with up Japan’s highest-grossing movie of all time, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Film: Mugen Practice.
Set for launch on July 18 by Aniplex and Toho and produced by studio Ufotable, there’s little doubt Infinity Citadel might be among the many top-grossing movies of 2025 in Japan, the place anime based mostly on common franchises rule the field workplace. However how will it fare in opposition to its record-breaking predecessor?
Mugen Practice benefitted from a particular set of circumstances when launched in October 2020. Other than the recognition of the Demon Slayer manga and an related TV sequence that started airing in 2019, its field workplace success was partially attributed to pent-up demand for cinemagoing following pandemic-related restrictions, which had been lifted shortly earlier than the discharge of the movie.
It went on to take $274m (¥40.43b) regionally, toppling the document held by Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, which made $214m (¥31.68b) in 2001. Worldwide, Mugen Practice made $507m, of which almost $50m got here from the US the place it ranked because the second highest-grossing Japanese anime movie of all time.
After a number of seasons of follow-up TV anime, Infinity Citadel will open in a traditional moviegoing atmosphere and face competitors from summer time tentpoles resembling current launch Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth (set to open August 8), and home hit Kokuho.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and based mostly on the unique manga by Koyoharu Gotoge, the upcoming movie follows the continued adventures of Tanjiro Kamado, a younger man devoted to looking down monsters as a part of the Demon Slayer Corps after his youthful sister was was one.
The trilogy will conclude the difference of the manga, printed from 2016 to 2020, and follows Tanjiro and his fellow slayers into the demons’ stronghold – the Infinity Citadel.
Display screen increase
Regardless of the aggressive atmosphere, Infinity Citadel will open on extra screens than its predecessor: 443 screens versus 403. Of these, 51 might be Imax, a legacy of Mugen Practice’s success on the large-screen format, in accordance with Richardson Handjaja, founding father of anime enterprise publication Animenomics.
“Imax was nonetheless comparatively new for Japan [in 2020],” says Handjaja. “Imax has actually made a giant funding in Japanese movies in the previous few years, and I believe Mugen Practice helped spark that.”
4 new Imax Laser screens are set to open in Japan on July 18, coinciding with the opening of Infinity Citadel.
One other potential distinction between Mugen Practice and Infinity Citadel is the recognition of Gotoge’s authentic manga, which concluded in Might 2020.
“When Mugen Practice first got here out, it topped all of the manga gross sales charts, even within the US,” says Handjaja. “However final yr within the US, Demon Slayer didn’t even chart within the prime 10.”
Worldwide roll-out
Infinity Citadel is ready for launch in main markets together with North America and the UK-Eire on September 12 by way of Crunchyroll and Sony Footage Leisure. The 2-month hole between the Japanese and Western releases is considerably shorter than Mugen Practice, which was launched in North America by Aniplex of America and Funimation six months after its native debut.
“Again when Mugen Practice was launched, Sony hadn’t but acquired Crunchyroll,” says Handjaja. “Now the distinction is the advertising and marketing engine behind Crunchyroll, the actual fact they’ve all of the Demon Slayer content material, and that Crunchyroll as a model can drive site visitors to screenings. In all of the markets that Crunchyroll is current and rising like India and Brazil, you’ll most likely see much more site visitors.”
Sony, which owns Aniplex and bought US anime distributor Funimation in 2017, closed its deal for streaming service Crunchyroll in 2021, subsequently consolidating the 2 corporations.
Mitchel Berger, EVP of world commerce at Crunchyroll, tells Display screen that “for the reason that success of Mugen Practice, now we have solely seen the worldwide demand for anime and outpouring of affection from followers proceed to massively develop. Our partnership with Sony Footage has unlocked many new alternatives for us to ship anime on a fair bigger scale theatrically.”
Anime development
Whereas Mugen Practice stays the second highest-grossing anime movie within the US – after 2000’s Pokemon: The First Film – subsequent releases resembling Dragon Ball Tremendous: Tremendous Hero, which took $28m in 2022, and The Boy And The Heron, which recorded $46m in 2023, have proven a rising urge for food for anime movies outdoors Japan.
Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that anime viewership on its platform had tripled over the previous 5 years and is now watched by greater than 50% of subscribers.
As well as, final yr’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To The Hashira Coaching, a cinematic compilation of Demon Slayer TV episodes, earned $17.6m within the US, proving the franchise nonetheless has legs in that market.
“We might not see as a lot income from Japan for Infinity Citadel,” says Handjaja. “However you’ll actually see the worldwide income go up as a result of Demon Slayer is way more of a worldwide property now.”
Crunchyroll will host an Infinity Citadel panel at San Diego Comedian Con on July 26 with a particular presentation that includes movie visitors, surprises, and unique footage from the movie – the primary time worldwide audiences will see it outdoors Japan. Visitors will embrace director Sotozaki and lead voice actor Natsuki Hanae.
