Talk about an unexpected September bloom at the box office that continued this weekend with a cornucopia of new offerings, led by the record-smashing U.S. debut of the Japanese anime sequel Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie Infinity Castle. The Sony-owned Crunchyroll is handling the movie.
The pic came in well ahead of expectations with an estimated $70 million, including a huge Friday haul of $33 million, to score the top opening ever for an anime title at the North American box office. It’s also Sony’s best showing in recent times. Overseas, it earned another $30 million or so for a global tally approaching $400 million (it rolled out in Japan in July, followed by other select markets).
It’s the second strong weekend in a row for moviegoing after a miserable August, save for a special singalong screening toward the end of the month of KPop: Demon Hunters, the most-watched English-language film in the history of Netflix.
Tracking had suggested the Demon Slayer would open to $35 million to $40 million; others thought $50 million was far more likely. But it com in even higher as the appetite for the genre grows in theh U.S., and after being embraced by critics and audiences alike.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is the first feature film in the three-part cinematic trilogy representing the final battle of the hugely popular, award-winning anime shonen series from famed animation studio Ufotable. The film has likewise done record-smashing business in Japan, where it debuted in July.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, Infinity Castle adapts the final arc of Koyoharu Gotouge’s best-selling manga series. Voice cast regulars Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro), Akari Kitō (Nezuko), Hiro Shimono (Zenitsu) and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Inosuke) return as the Demon Slayer Corps embarks on a climactic assault against the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji. The film was co-financed by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Group. International distribution comes from Toho, Aniplex and Crunchyroll, with Imax releases planned in over 40 territories worldwide.
The film also posted historic results for Imax in Japan; ditto for Imax screens in North America.
Warner Bros. and New Line’s juggernaut The Conjuring: Last Rites — which finished Sunday with a near-franchise best $333 million in global ticket sales — fell 69 percent domestically in North America for a domestic total of $131.1 million after competing with Demon Slayer for younger moviegoers. Overseas, it raked in a huge $60.5 million as it cleared the $200 million mark at the foreign box office for a worldwide tally of $332.9 million in its first 13 days.
The final big screen adaptation of the beloved British show Downton Abbey placed third with a domestic debut of $18.1 million, in line with expectations. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is likewise benefiting from glowing reviews and audience.
Lionsgate’s dystopian The Long Walk, based on a Stephen King novel, opened in fourth place with an estimated $11.5 million. The pic earned a B+ CinemaScore, not unusual for the genre. Demon Slayer and Grand Finale each received an A.
In celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pixar’s seminal animated film Toy Story, Disney is rereleasing the movie this weekend to strong numbers. The pic looks rounded out the top five with a pleasing $3.5 million to $3.8 million.
Rob Reiner’s sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues started off with an estimated place with $1.7 million to come land at the bottom of the top 10 chart. The sequel to Reiner’s cult-classic mockumentary earned an A- CinemaScore.
More to come.
Sept. 14, 7:45 a.m.: Updated with revised estimates.
This story was originally published September 13 at 9:41 a.m.
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