The first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy had entered the top 10 highest-earning films of all time in Japan.
In its first 17 days the movie, titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – Akaza‘s Return, sold 12,558,582 tickets to earn a cumulative total of 17,639,557,600 yen (about US$119.3 million). In doing so, it surpassed the 2003 film Bayside Shakedown 2 to claim the #10 spot.
The movie had previously set a new record as the fastest film in Japan to earn 10 billion yen, accomplishing the feat within eight days of its release. It broke the record held by the franchise’s 2020 film, Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, which is currently the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan.
The Infinity Castle movie also broke several opening records set by Mugen Train. It had claimed Japan’s best opening-day box office on July 18 with 1,155,637 tickets sold for 1,646,054,200 yen (US$11.1 million) and the best single day box office collection on July 20, selling 1,421,804 tickets for 2,037,820,200 yen (US$13.7 million).
The film’s four-day opening weekend gross of 7,315,846,800 yen (US$49.50 million) from 5,164,348 tickets also topped Mugen Train’s three-day opening weekend. In comparison, the latter had opened in Oct. 2020 and sold 3,424,930 tickets for 4,623,117,450 yen (about US$43.85 million at the time) in its first three days.
To continue climbing Japan’s all-time box office chart, the movie must overtake major animated and live-action films including Howl’s Moving Castle (19.60 billion yen), Princess Mononoke (20.18 billion yen), One Piece Film: Red (20.33 billion yen), Your Name (25.17 billion yen), and Spirited Away (31.68 billion yen).
The top spot is held by its predecessor, Mugen Train, which became the highest-grossing film in Japan on its 73rd day and has a total domestic gross of 40.43 billion yen (about US$273 million).
Mugen Train also holds the record for the highest-earning Japanese film worldwide. In 2020, it became the first non-American film to top the yearly worldwide box office.
Akaza’s Return is currently playing on a franchise-record 443 screens across Japan, including IMAX. Aniplex reported that it aims for an international release in over 150 countries and regions. Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Aniplex will screen the film in the United States and Canada on Sep 12, 2025.
Source: ANN