Box Office: ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Reigns With $33 Million Opening Day — Already the Biggest Debut Ever for Anime

Anime is back on top of the box office, with “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” earning $33 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,315 locations. That’s the biggest opening day domestic gross ever for an anime film, crushing the previous $10.9 million high-mark set by “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” in 2022. Not only that, it’s also already the biggest opening weekend ever for anime, surging past the $31 million record held by “Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back” since 1998.

“Infinity Castle,” the first installment in what is meant to be a series-capping trilogy for the property, is playing in both subtitled and dubbed versions, plus it has a revenue boost from playing Imax theaters. Reviews are positive for the film and early audiences adore it, with moviegoer survey firm Cinema Score polling a strong “A” grade. But stateside grosses are also just the latest success for the anime epic.