Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle opens with $11.4M from Thursday previews

The first installment of the highly anticipated film trilogy, ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,’ is already making history. The film, which kicked off its North American run this past Friday earned an impressive $11.4 million from early preview screenings alone on Thursday. This massive debut came from 2,800 locations across the U.S., signaling a huge success for the franchise in Western markets.

The film’s theatrical run in the United States and Canada, handled by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is a global affair. It is being shown in both its original Japanese language with English subtitles and a newly produced English dub. This dual-language release caters to the diverse audience of the series.

A Global Phenomenon Continues

The North American success is just the latest milestone for the film, which has been dominating the box office since its July 18 premiere in Japan. Playing on a record 443 screens, the film has quickly become a domestic juggernaut. It has sold over 22 million tickets, with a total gross of more than 31.4 billion yen (approximately US$213 million), making it the fastest film in Japan to surpass the 30 billion yen milestone. This feat was achieved in just 46 days, beating the previous record held by its predecessor, “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train.”

The film’s performance has also cemented its place in Japanese cinema history, surpassing James Cameron’s Titanic to become the third-highest-earning film of all time in the country. With its continued momentum, industry observers believe it may soon overtake Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away to claim the second spot.

In our opinion, we mentioned the movie “cements the series’ reputation as a modern anime phenomenon. With masterfully choreographed battles, emotionally resonant character moments, and animation that rivals the world’s top studios.”

Follow MeriStation USA on X (formerly known as Twitter). Your video game and entertainment website for all the news, updates, and breaking news from the world of video games, movies, series, manga, and anime. Previews, reviews, interviews, trailers, gameplay, podcasts and more! Follow us now!