Demon Slayer dominated the box office in Japan, grabbing the interest of the international cinema industry.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train’s Japanese’s Sony animated film continued to break records. Nothing can bring this train to a halt. Overseas, the most recent “Demon Slayer” broke multiple movie office records. The animation film, which had its world premiere in late October in Japan, performed exceptionally well in the Asia-Pacific area. Additionally, it is the highest-earning animated film of all time, grossing $423 million worldwide. Due to its sustained success, it has surpassed the Chinese military epic The Eight Hundred as the highest grossing 2020 film internationally.
The success of the 2019 television adaptation prompted Sony to establish animation as the fourth pillar of its entertainment business, with “Demon Slayer” serving as one of the company’s strongest animation IPs.
The plot of “Kimetsu no Yaiba” follows a teenage boy named Tanjiro Kamado as he embarks on a journey to save his younger sister. She was transformed into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji, the series’ major antagonist, whose attack also claimed the lives of the rest of Tanjiro’s family.
The Japanese animated film chronicles the investigation of the disappearance of 40 individuals aboard a mystery train by five demon slayers. (Mugen is a Japanese term that means “infinite.”) Each of our protagonists succumbs to a spell-induced dream state as they board the titular train.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, a feature film based on a popular shonen animation film, shattered North American box office records with an estimated $21.1 million in its opening weekend.
According to a press statement from Funimation and Aniplex of America, this makes the Japanese animation film the No. 1 foreign-language debut in US box office history. Although this should be qualified by the fact that the Japanese animation film will be screened in both a subtitled and dubbed English version. Even still, it’s astounding given the animated film’s potential to shatter such a record in the midst of a global pandemic.
While Hollywood and movie theaters are currently ramping up production in the aftermath of the epidemic year, it seems reasonable to speculate that Demon Slayer might have been a smash on these shores “in normal times.” As such, one can bet that animation will continue to grow in popularity in North America as time passes. A short peek at social media reveals delighted audience members dressed as Demon Slayer characters heading to their local multiplex.
It became the highest-earning Japanese film of all time (animated and live-action), grossing around $350 million at the box office, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away’s previous record.
Demon Slayer has become Japan’s highest-grossing film, with ticket sales exceeding $368 million.
In Japan, this is seen as a social phenomena, rather than a form of amusement animation feature. Due to the successful theatrical effect, 22 manga volumes have dominated the Japanese sales list, taking the top 22 spots – something that the legends of One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Naruto have not been able to do.
The number of printed copies has surpassed 100 million, and the book has been licensed for publication in more than 30 countries.
The television series is regarded as one of the best of the decade’s animated film, having been licensed for broadcast in 110 countries, dubbed in eight languages, and featuring thirteen distinct subtitles.
According to Nikkei, the series was predicted to have a $2 billion economic impact in Japan. The success of the Japanese’s Sony feature film and the numerous tie-in food and consumer products reinvigorated a retail business that had been subdued by the pandemic.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
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Image Credits: Imdb.com
Reference Sources:
- Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/
- Cartoon Brew – Technology: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tech
- Befores & Afters – Visual effects and animation journalist: https://beforesandafters.com/
- Bloomberg News: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/
- Insider: https://www.insider.com/
- Guinness: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-prime-time-animation-show