Since Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train debuted in Japan to record-breaking box office success, the anime film has managed to climb the box office ladder to become the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time in the country. Now, Demon Slayer The Movie has claimed the title of highest-grossing IMAX film in Japan from Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in its fifth week of release.
Over the past weekend, Demon Slayer: The Movie earned an additional $1.4 million from 38 IMAX screens in Japan to bring its total gross in the format to $14.2 million. The anime film managed to best the $13.4 million IMAX record previously held by Bohemian Rhapsody after just 30 days, whereas the Queen biopic only reached the $13 million mark after playing in IMAX theaters across Japan for 135 days.
Dropping only 3% from its IMAX earnings of the previous weekend, Demon Slayer's per-screen average in Japan amounted to $36K in its fifth weekend of release. In Taiwan, the film grossed an additional $225K from 9 screens for an IMAX total of $710K after just 10 days of screening in the format, despite starting in the second week of nationwide release. Hong Kong premiered Demon Slayer this weekend but will only begin showing the film on IMAX screens in the next session. "TOHO's ‘Demon Slayer’ is one of the most remarkable box office successes of the year throughout the world and further proof that spectacular, must-see blockbuster filmmaking is bringing audiences back to theatres where they feel safe," said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, in a statement.
Toho and Anniplex also confirmed Demon Slayer Movie has earned a 31-day total of $223.6 million from 17.5 million admissions. Despite facing new competition for the first time since its release with the debut of Stand By Me Doraemon 2, Demon Slayer The Movie is reportedly expected to overtake Your Name, Frozen, and Titanic on the list of highest-grossing films in Japan. Dethroning Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which holds the number one all-time spot in Japan with 30.8 billion yen, is also a possibility.
While COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the film production industry and exhibitors, Demon Slayer The Movie has performed well even by pre-pandemic standards. After just one weekend of release, the film was able to exceed the box office debuts of Disney's Frozen II and Weathering with You.
The box office fortunes of Demon Slayer may bode well for Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, which is scheduled to premiere in Japan on December 25th, 2020. The latest installment of the Pokemon film series had its original July release date postponed on account of the global health crisis.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train will be released in theaters in North America in 2021.
Source: Deadline