Thu Sep 18 14:20:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**”Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” Smashes Anime Box Office Records with $70 Million Opening**

**Hollywood, CA -** Anime fans have spoken, and their voices are being heard loud and clear at the box office. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie Infinity Castle” has obliterated previous records, earning an estimated $70 million in its opening weekend domestically, making it the biggest anime movie opening in history.

Distributed in North America by Crunchyroll, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, “Infinity Castle” raked in a staggering $33 million on Friday alone. This performance far surpasses the previous record holder, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Pokémon: The First Movie,” which grossed $31 million in its opening weekend in 1999.

“We can easily call this a surprise hit,” stated Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. “To have this one dominate the (domestic box office), I don’t think anyone could see this coming.” Dergarabedian called “Infinity Castle” a “box office juggernaut,” noting that it’s the sixth-largest September opening.

“Infinity Castle” also marks the best opening for a “Demon Slayer” movie, surpassing FUNimation Entertainment’s “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” ($21 million in 2021) and Sony’s “Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training” ($11.5 million in 2024).

While industry experts were surprised by the sheer scale of the film’s success, Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango, noted the growing fanbase of the genre, “That’s really crescendoing into this blockbuster-level type of box office that kicks off the final trilogy,” he said. “The genre’s fanbase has continued to grow domestically, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha.”

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” took second place, grossing $26.1 million, followed by “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” with $18.1 million. “The Long Walk,” based on the novel by Stephen King, came in forth with $11.5 million.

The film’s success highlights the diverse range of movies finding success, with a continued trend of horror performing well this fall.

The strong performance of “Infinity Castle” and other films at the box office signals a positive trend for theaters following a less than stellar end to the summer movie season. The anticipation continues to build with Universal Pictures’ and Jordan Peele’s “Him” set to open next weekend.

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