The first chapter of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Infinity Castle Arc," titled "Akaza's Return," officially premiered in Japan on July 18, and its monstrous box office performance continues to make history, becoming a must-see cinematic event across the nation.
Today (July 28), the official figures for its first ten days in theaters were released, revealing a staggering cumulative box office of ¥12,872,170,000 and 9,104,483 admissions nationwide – both unprecedented records in Japanese film history.
In an astonishing feat, the film blasted past the ¥10 billion mark in just eight days, setting a new record for the fastest film to reach this milestone in Japanese cinema. This achievement even outpaces its predecessor, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train," which took ten days to hit the ¥10 billion mark.
The previous record holder was Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away," which achieved ¥10 billion in 25 days back in 2001. "Mugen Train" dramatically shattered that record, a feat many thought "impossible to surpass," only for it to be broken once again by its own successor!
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Infinity Castle Arc Part 1: Akaza's Return" is currently showing in 452 theaters across Japan. Coupled with ufotable's exquisite production quality, many Japanese audiences have showered it with praise after viewing, with numerous fans already rewatching it multiple times in a frenzy. Many netizens are even joking that the common greeting now is, "Have you seen the Demon Slayer movie?" calling it nothing short of a national phenomenon.
Though only ten days into its run, the film continues to set new benchmarks, including the highest "single-day opening box office," "highest single-day box office," and "highest weekend box office" in Japanese film history.
The film is set to release in Taiwan on August 8, and in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Malaysia on August 14. Whether it can replicate its box office magic in other Asian countries remains to be seen.