This weekend sees three wide releases: “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is targeting a $20M opening, “The Long Walk” around $10M, but it’s the third film that’s expected to dominate the box office, unseating “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” which is projected to drop 64% in its second weekend.
“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” has ignited a storm of pre-sales and social media activity, drawing record levels of interest for the anime genre. The numbers project for its first three days of release are staggering.
Tracking, distribution sources, and projections for ‘Infinity Castle’ are all over the place. Sony is forecasting a $35M opening across 3,300 theaters. Deadline is saying that number has climbed, with some insiders believing ‘Infinity Castle’ could open to $45M–$60M+ over the Friday-to-Sunday window. However, current indicators, from my own sources, suggest ‘Infinity Castle’ is trending closer to a whopping $70M opening weekend.
Why the buzz? ‘Infinity Castle’ is the first instalment in a trilogy, focusing on the Demon Slayer Corps as they enter the Infinity Castle. Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face the terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight while the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji unfolds. If you’re already turned off by that synopsis, you’re not alone.
Honestly, I had no idea this kind of response would happen — it really shows just how big Japanese anime has become with Gen Z and Millennials. The film is already tracking well ahead of the pre-release momentum of 2021’s “Mugen Train,” which debuted to $21M stateside — the #2 anime opening in history behind 1999’s “Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back” ($31M).
Anime films in the U.S. are almost always front-loaded. The fanbase shows up on day one, and after that, turnout typically drops off, given the limited mainstream appeal. Expectations are that the film’s box office will mirror that.
Per Box Office Mojo, the film’s offshore gross — led by Japan with $213M — currently stands near $273M.
I should warn you: based on everything I’ve heard, this teaser is a total misdirection. The movie is not at all what it’s being portrayed as here. In fact, most of the footage in the teaser comes from the first few minutes of the film.