(Image Source: Sony Pictures)
The highly anticipated "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle — Chapter 1: Akaza's Assault," which has been sweeping across various countries, finally debuted in North American theaters last weekend. It opened to an astonishing $70 million, directly surpassing "Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back"'s 1999 record-setting opening of $31 million. Given this momentum, "Chapter 1: Akaza's Assault" is poised to easily eclipse "Mewtwo Strikes Back"'s total North American gross of $85.47 million.
(Image Source: Sony Pictures)
The North American opening figures for "Chapter 1: Akaza's Assault" quickly pushed its global box office past the $300 million mark, with over $200 million of that total coming from Japan. Interestingly, the film also marks Sony Pictures' highest North American opening in the past two years, outperforming "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," which debuted with $56.5 million.
Elsewhere, Sony's other summer releases this year, including "Caught Stealing," "Karate Kid: Legends," and the fourth installment of "I Know What You Did Last Summer," have seen either modest or disappointing box office returns. Fortunately, "Chapter 1: Akaza's Assault" has injected some much-needed vitality into their slate.