Anime has taken over the box office again. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle” opened with $33 million across Friday and preview screenings in North America, setting a new record for the biggest opening day ever for an anime film.
The debut easily beat the previous single-day record of $10.9 million set by Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero in 2022. It also surpassed the long-standing weekend record of $31 million held by Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back since 1999.
Early estimates now project a full weekend of $56 million to $60 million, which could make it Sony’s biggest domestic opener in more than two years, topping Bad Boys: Ride or Die at $56.5 million.
The film is the first in a planned trilogy that will conclude the hit Demon Slayer series. It is screening in both subtitled and dubbed formats, with a strong boost from IMAX and premium large-format theaters.
IMAX showings alone brought in $6.4 million on Friday. Audience feedback is overwhelmingly positive, earning a solid “A” grade from CinemaScore.
Globally, Infinity Castle has already earned over $279 million, including more than $200 million in Japan, where it remains the country’s top film after eight weeks in release. It is now Japan’s third-highest-grossing film of all time.
Other weekend releases trail far behind. Universal’s Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale opened in third place with $8.8 million on Friday and previews, while Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk took $4.76 million for a projected $11 million debut.
Warner Bros.’ The Conjuring: Last Rites added $8.4 million to secure second place, pushing its domestic total to $113 million.
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