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(Bloomberg) — Sony Pictures’ Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle was the most popular movie in North American theaters this weekend, setting a new high for the Japanese anime genre.
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The film, about a boy who joins an organization hunting demons after his little sister is turned into one, brought in $70 million from the US and Canada, the division of Sony Group Corp. said Sunday. That topped the previous $31 million record set by Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back in 1999. Box Office Pro had forecast weekend sales of $60 million to $75 million.
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The opening underscores the surging global appeal of anime. Demon Slayer is based on a comic book series that has sold over 220 million copies and been adapted for TV, video games and other films. The latest picture, distributed by Sony’s Crunchyroll streaming service, is the first of a trilogy. It had already grossed about $280 million worldwide going into the weekend.
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“Demon Slayer is anime at its best, from concept to execution,” said Rob Pereyda, founder at anime-focused consultancy Henshin in San Francisco. “While anime itself is no longer counterculture in the US like it was a generation ago, it is still providing a breath of fresh air to fans here.”
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Sony demonstrated the broad appeal of its anime business earlier this year with KPop Demon Hunters, a film made for Netflix Inc. Within two months of release on the streaming service, the picture became Netflix’s most-watched original film of all time.
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“For Sony, this is a testament to its vision for anime: Aniplex produces incredible content, Crunchyroll taps into the anime community, and Sony Pictures uses its muscle for a historic release,” Pereyda said.
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Aided by anime’s growing popularity, Sony’s entertainment business — spanning gaming, music, films and TV — has grown to about 60% of the group’s sales.
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—With assistance from Mayumi Negishi, Takashi Mochizuki and Vlad Savov.
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