©Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Demon Slayer: infinity Castle, the latest installment in the Demon Slayer franchise, is poised to become the most profitable anime production of all time, say industry analysts.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, the film runs for 2 hours and 35 minutes. It depicts Tanjiro Kamado and the Hashira as they do battle with Muzan Kibutsuji in the Infinity Castle.
Since its premiere In Japan on September 12, the film has already earned a phenomenal $674 million at the global box office. The R-rated anime is expected to rake in $1 billion once it is released in China by Maoyan Pictures on November 14. Infinity Castle is a sequel to Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which took in a relatively paltry $505 million. Its theatrical run will extend into 2026, so it will not be available via streaming until well into the new year.
Only 58 films in the history of moviemaking have earned figures like these, and only two of them have been R-rated: Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.3 billion) and Joker ($1 billion). The highest-performing anime ever made, however, is China’s Ne Zha 2, which had a total global gross of $2.2 billion. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, however, was made on a shoestring budget of just $20 million.
According to a report by the Chinese streaming site bilibili, Demon Slayer‘s first season set records in the PRC as the most popular anime of 2019, rivaling hits like My Hero Academia and Sword Art Online.
The Chinese market is expected to be favorable because of the millions of fans it is sure to attract, despite the government’s limitations on how many foreign films can be shown by theaters there each year. China also imposes strict restrictions on content. The anime universe is expanding rapidly, and is expected to be a $4 billion industry in the next few years.
Our review of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”
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