LOS ANGELES, CA – The highly anticipated anime film, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle,” has stormed the North American box office, achieving a staggering $70 million opening weekend. This monumental debut, spanning September 12-14, 2025, has not only claimed the top spot at the domestic box office, outpacing major Hollywood releases, but also shattered the long-standing record for the biggest opening weekend ever for an anime film in the United States and Canada.
The Ufotable-produced feature, distributed by Sony Pictures and its anime streaming service Crunchyroll, surpassed all expectations, delivering the highest debut of 2025 for any animated film and marking Sony’s biggest opening of the year. The impressive $70 million haul easily eclipses the previous anime opening record of $31 million set by “Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back” in 1999. The film’s success also highlights the surging mainstream appeal of Japanese animation within American entertainment.
A Box Office Juggernaut
“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” played across 3,315 screens, boasting an exceptional per-screen average of over $21,000. This robust performance contributed to a global opening weekend of $132.1 million across North America and 49 international markets, underscoring the franchise’s immense worldwide popularity. The film’s critical and audience reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 97% from critics and 98% from audiences, alongside an “A” CinemaScore. The film’s popularity also translated into strong premium format performance, with IMAX screens alone contributing $13 million to the domestic gross.
The Franchise Phenomenon
Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s best-selling manga series, which has sold over 220 million copies worldwide, the “Demon Slayer” franchise has cultivated a massive global fanbase. “Infinity Castle” is the first installment of a planned three-part cinematic trilogy that is set to adapt the climactic final arcs of the anime series. The film follows the harrowing journey of Tanjiro Kamado and his allies as they confront powerful demons within the titular Infinity Castle in a desperate bid to end Muzan Kibutsuji’s reign of terror.
This latest cinematic chapter builds upon the success of previous “Demon Slayer” films, including “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train,” which was a major box office hit in 2020, grossing over $453 million worldwide. The franchise has solidified its status as a powerhouse, with “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” contributing to the overall franchise surpassing the $1 billion mark globally.
Impact on American Entertainment and News
The record-breaking performance of “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” is a significant development for the anime genre and the broader American entertainment landscape. It demonstrates the growing commercial viability and mainstream acceptance of anime films, providing a much-needed boost to the September box office season after a relatively slow August. Industry analysts note that this success validates the strategic distribution efforts by companies like Sony and Crunchyroll in bringing Japanese animation to wider audiences. The film’s commanding presence at the top of the box office charts signifies a powerful cultural moment, proving that anime can captivate audiences on a massive scale and redefine the commercial potential of animated features in Western markets.
The “Demon Slayer” franchise continues to demonstrate its unparalleled ability to draw audiences to theaters, with “Infinity Castle” setting a new benchmark for anime’s box office power.
