Breaking Records: Demon Slayer's Rise to the Top of the Western Anime Market
Anime made a significant impact in the Western market in 1999 with the release of Pokemon: The First Movie, which became the highest-grossing anime film in the U.S. at the time. Fast forward to today, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie -- Infinity Castle is on track to break records as America's top-grossing anime film. The film's opening weekend earnings have already exceeded $70 million, making it Sony's most successful domestic opener since Bad Boys: Ride or Die in 2024. Infinity Castle's opening weekend sales more than doubled the earnings of Pokemon: The First Movie during its initial two days in theaters.
During the peak of the Pokemon craze, Pokemon: The First Movie raked in an impressive $85.7 million in North America, with $31 million coming from its opening weekend alone. In contrast, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle surpassed this milestone on its first day of release, collecting a remarkable $33 million from screenings across 3,315 locations. The film also set a new single-day box office record in Japan, earning over 1.65 billion yen (approximately US$11.13 million) on July 18, 2025. Its final four-day opening weekend gross in Japan amounted to around US$49.4 million, setting yet another record.
Based on Koyoharu Gotouge's popular manga series, the Demon Slayer anime by Studio Ufotable follows Tanjiro Kamado as he joins the Demon Corps to save his sister, Nezuko, from demonic forces. The series gained a massive global following for its captivating action scenes and well-developed characters. Infinity Castle, the first installment in a confirmed trilogy, depicts Tanjiro's ultimate battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, the main antagonist of the series. The film generated immense excitement among Western fans, evident from the record-breaking ticket pre-sales of over US$10 million on the first day of availability, as reported by Fandango.
Fans can enjoy the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series on popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll, while the English version of the manga is published by VIZ Media. With the success of Infinity Castle and the growing popularity of the Demon Slayer franchise, anime enthusiasts have much to look forward to in the world of Tanjiro and his companions.