Demon Slayer Anime Film Shatters U.S. Box Office Record for Non-English Movies

The latest installment in the Demon Slayer franchise, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – Akaza Sairai,” has made waves at the global box office. The first film in the trilogy has earned an estimated USD 128.6 million in North American markets as of this past weekend. This impressive figure makes it the highest-grossing non-English, international film of all time in that market, surpassing the 2000 classic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which had previously held the title with USD 128.1 million.

The film has also achieved significant milestones worldwide. As of October 12, it has grossed an estimated USD 648 million globally. This places it as the fifth highest-grossing film of 2025, outpacing “How to Train Your Dragon,” which had previously held the fifth spot with USD 635.7 million. The film’s success is particularly notable in Crunchyroll/Sony markets, where it has earned an estimated USD 336 million. This figure includes USD 3.5 million from 62 markets this past weekend alone. Additionally, the film now ranks eighth all-time worldwide among rated-R films, surpassing the 2004 release “The Passion of the Christ.”

While some American films in foreign languages and international films in English have earned more in the United States, such as “The Passion of the Christ” and “The King’s Speech,” respectively, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – Akaza Sairai” stands out as a monumental achievement for non-English international cinema.

The film has sold an impressive 67,020,204 tickets worldwide, amounting to 82,359,480,810 yen (approximately USD 568 million at the current exchange rate). In the United States, it has sold 8.91 million tickets for over USD 100 million, and in Japan, it has sold 23,727,443 tickets for 34,186,470,400 yen (approximately USD 236 million) after 67 days. As of the latest reports, it has sold 24,266,753 tickets for 35,064,331,400 yen (approximately USD 242 million) in Japan after 73 days.

This film is not only the highest-earning anime film of all time worldwide but also the highest-earning Japanese film globally. It has achieved the remarkable feat of topping the U.S. box office for two consecutive weekends and is the first anime film to earn over USD 100 million in the country. The film’s opening weekend alone brought in USD 70,611,098, breaking records for the biggest opening weekend for an anime film in the U.S., both unadjusted and adjusted for inflation. This surpasses the previous record held by the 1999 anime film “Pokémon: The First Movie,” which had earned USD 31 million.

In Japan, the film is the second highest-earning film of all time at the box office, surpassing “Spirited Away,” a beloved work by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. The film’s success in Japan is further underscored by the fact that it has earned more than the previous highest-earning film in the country, “Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train,” which had grossed 40.75 billion yen (approximately USD 277 million in current conversion).

The first “Infinity Castle” film was directed by Haruo Sotozaki at ufotable, with the studio also credited for the screenplay. The film features powerful performances, including Aimer’s song “Taiyō ga Noboranai Sekai” (“A World Where the Sun Never Rises”) and LiSA’s “Zankoku no Yoru ni Kagayake” (“Shine in the Cruel Night”).

News Source: Animenewsnetwork.com