‘Demon Slayer’ Becomes Highest Grossing Movie in Japan
It looks like there is no stopping the runaway success of the animated film Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train. The latest reports point to the movie becoming the highest-grossing movie in Japan, dethroning Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Deadline reports that Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train has now made $313 million in the box office or 32.4 billion yen. This eclipses the 30.8 billion yen that Spirited Away made back in 2001 when it launched in Japanese cinemas.
The publication also notes that the film broke this record over the course of three months, making huge premiere numbers and not slowing down since. Aside from surpassing Spirited Away, Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train is 2020’s highest-grossing animated film.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train is also the biggest IMAX movie in Japan after earning $21 million in box office receipts. It had already surpassed previous record-holder Bohemian Rhapsody last month when it earned $14.2 million in just one month.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train eclipsing Spirited Away is yet another feather to add to the film’s cap. A couple of weeks ago, the animated film became the second highest-earning movie overseas, overtaking Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
At the time, the animated film had already earned $310 million worldwide, which is $10 million more than the $303.5 million that Tenet made internationally. Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train also accomplished this during the pandemic, with screenings held only in markets like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan.
Aside from striking box office gold, Comicbook reports that the success of Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train in the Japanese box office might also mean good things for the television series it is based on.
The publication says that the film acts as a sequel to the animé, but no second season has yet been greenlit for the animé. While no official confirmation has been made by Studio Ufotable -- the company that made both the film and the animated series -- it is safe to say that a second season may be announced.
A 2021 theatrical run in the United States has also been suggested for Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train, but that would be subject to the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the country next year.
As of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update for Dec. 27, there are now 18,909,910 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. The number of people that have died from COVID-19 is now at 330,901.