The film and theater industry of countries that have successfully managed the global coronavirus pandemic continues to show signs of recovery as their venues begin to reopen. For instance, the anime film Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train, opened to record-breaking numbers in the country.
Deadline reports that the film made anywhere from $30 to $40 million over the weekend, with the uncertainty only because of how tightly box office numbers are controlled outside of Japan. Either way, once official numbers come out, Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train has set a record.
As pointed out by Deadline, even if Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train ends up at the lower end of $30 million, it easily out-earned Frozen 2’s three-day earnings of $18.2 million. IMAX says the movie has also made them record-setting business in Japan.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train’s success follows that of summer releases like the latest Doraemon movie and Today, It’s My Turn. The newest Doraemon movie bowed with a $30 million cumulative take, while Today, It’s My Turn ended its run with total earnings of $48 million.
The Asahi Shimbun reports that the movie's demand in Japan is incredibly high, with screenings starting as early as seven in the morning. The movie is also being shown multiple times on multiple screens. According to the paper, 42 screenings on 11 screens are currently scheduled in the Shinjuku Toho Cinemas.
Other cinemas are also packing in the screenings. The Shinjuku Wald 9 cinema has scheduled 39 screenings while Nagoya’s Nakagawa Korona Cinema World has scheduled 36 screenings.
The film’s earnings have also probably been helped by the Japanese government easing audiences size restrictions for theaters nationwide back in September. Some theaters in Tokyo and Osaka, for instance, sold all its seats the previous weekend.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train’s amazing performance follows local films' great performance in their respective markets as Hollywood continues to hold back its blockbusters due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Back in September, Chinese war movie The Eight Hundred ruled over the international box office, earning $425 million over the course of a month. The film ended its theatrical run with $460 million in earnings, making it the year’s highest-grossing film.
In comparison, the heavily hyped Christopher Nolan film, Tenet, has only grossed $333 million so far globally. While the number is not small by any measure, the film failed to live up to its hype as being the savior of the theater industry.