Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train continues its record-breaking streak at the North America box office, becoming the No. 2 anime movie of all-time in U.S. box-office history with $43,956,487 by Friday evening ($44.9M as of Sunday). Released stateside by Funimation Films and Aniplex of America, the feature extension of the hit anime series set a record last month as the No. 1 Foreign Language film debut in U.S. box office history, and Funimation’s largest opening three-day weekend theatrical release ever.
Set after the events of the television series, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train has Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke embark on a new mission. Together with one of the most powerful swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, they investigate the mysterious disappearance of over 40 people aboard the Mugen Train. The R-rated supernatural adventure is directed by Haruo Sotozaki featuring the original story by Koyoharu Gotoge with screenplay and animation production by studio ufotable.
Mugen Train opened in Japan on October 16, 2020 and is now the highest grossing anime and Japanese film (animated or live action) of all time. The film opened on 403 screens (including 38 IMAX theaters), has grossed over $368M at the box offices in Japan and is the most successful IMAX release of all time in the market. The film opened at #1 in Australia and New Zealand in February.
Outside the good news for Tanjiro and co., the domestic box-office was relatively quiet this weekend, led by the Saw franchise’s lowest BO debut yet with Spiral‘s $8.7M opening. Overseas, theaters are awaiting a blockbuster injection from F9, which will roll out in a number of territories (including China, Russia and South Korea) ahead of its U.S. release on June 25.
In notable animation activity, hybrid sequel Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway hopped into U.K. theaters, which reopened May 17 at 50% capacity. The Columbia/Animal Logic co-pro has grossed $1.2M in the country, which was the second-biggest market after the U.S. for the first movie in 2018. Peter has squirreled away $20M worldwide so far in his second outing, and will return to U.S. theaters on June 18.
The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series, streaming on Funimation both subtitled and dubbed, premiered in 2019 and is based on Koyoharu Gotoge’s manga, which boasts over 150 million copies in circulation in Japan. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action-packed, thrilling tale of a young man in search of a cure for his sister, who has been turned into a demon after their family is viciously slaughtered by demons. Fans can catch up on the entire series with the three-part TV specials, “Sibling’s Bond”, “Mt. Natagumo Arc” and “The Hashira Meeting Arc” on Funimation.
In addition to theaters, fans can also enjoy Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train on EST beginning June 22 on Apple TV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Google Play, PlayStation Store and Amazon. Pre-orders for the film will begin today on Apple TV, Microsoft Store, and PlayStation Store. Merchandise is available at demonslayer-anime.com/goods and shop.funimation.com.
[Sources: Funimation Films, BoxOfficeMojo]
