Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Part 1 tops global box office for anime

Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie Infinity Castle Part 1 has become a global box office phenomenon, setting new records after its summer release in Japan and its September debut in the United States. The film, which opened in Japan on July 18 and in the U.S. on September 12, has surpassed the previous anime benchmarks and, in the United States, overtaken a longstanding foreign‑film record formerly held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Industry box office tallies show the film has become the highest‑grossing anime feature of all time worldwide and the highest‑grossing international or foreign language film in the U.S., with U.S. receipts estimated at roughly $128.6 million and global grosses reported in the high hundreds of millions. In Japan the picture reached 10 billion yen faster than any previous release in the franchise, and it has displaced earlier record holders including the series’ own Mugen Train. The film’s ongoing theatrical run has also placed it among the top grossers of 2025 globally.

Adapted from the Infinity Castle arc of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga, the movie—sometimes referred to by its subtitle Akaza’s Return—centers on a climactic confrontation inside...