LOS ANGELES – The anime phenomenon Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza’s Return has achieved a historic milestone, dominating the North American box office with an estimated $70 million opening weekend. The film debuted at No. 1 on the weekend charts, shattering a 25-year-old record for a Japanese anime film’s opening and securing a spot in the provisional top 10 domestic debuts of 2025.
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‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc’ Cracks the Year’s Top 10
The staggering $70 million opening places Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc provisionally as the 10th biggest domestic opening of 2025. This remarkable achievement means the film has outperformed major Hollywood blockbusters, including the latest installment of Tom Cruise’s iconic franchise, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (approx. $64.03 million), and the highly anticipated Brad Pitt-starrer F1 (approx. $57 million). This powerful performance demonstrates the growing prowess of Japanese content, proving it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hollywood’s biggest productions in the North American market.
Top U.S. Box Office Openings of 2025 (Provisional as of Sept. 15, 2025) | Rank | Title | Opening Weekend Gross |
| 1 | Minecraft: The Movie | $162,753,003 |
| 2 | Lilo & Stitch | $146,016,175 |
| 3 | Superman | $125,021,735 |
| 4 | Fantastic Four: First Steps | $117,644,828 |
| 5 | Jurassic World: Resurrection | $92,016,065 |
| 6 | Captain America: Brave New World | $88,842,603 |
| 7 | How to Train Your Dragon | $84,633,315 |
| 8 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | $84,006,121 |
| 9 | Thunderbolts* | $74,300,608 |
| 10 | Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc | $70,000,000 (Est.) |
Shattering a 25-Year ‘Pokémon’ Record, Rewriting Anime Film History
This debut weekend more than doubles the previous record for a Japanese anime film, held by Pokémon: The First Movie which opened to $31 million in 1999. The 25-year-old record has been decisively broken, marking a new era for anime at the U.S. box office. Globally, the film has already soared past the $300 million mark, driven by immense success in Asian markets, including a run of over 30 billion yen in Japan, where it ranks as the second highest-grossing film of all time.
A Major Success for Distributor Sony
The film’s North American release was handled by Crunchyroll, Sony’s anime distribution arm. The massive opening is a significant victory for Sony, which faced a challenging summer movie season. The result surpasses the opening of the studio’s other major hit, Will Smith’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die ($56.5 million), and marks Sony’s best opening weekend in over two years.
Revitalizing a Sluggish Box Office
The record-breaking debut of Demon Slayer has injected a much-needed jolt of energy into a September box office that was projected to be sluggish. Last week’s chart-topper, Warner Bros.’ The Conjuring: Last Rites, moved to second place. The total weekend box office reached an estimated $145 million, a remarkable 50% increase from the same weekend last year.
“Anime films are visually suited for the big-screen experience and are a truly global genre,” commented Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore. The film’s success has helped the industry move past the summer doldrums and has ignited high expectations for the fall movie season.