Funimation/Aniplex’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train continues to create and break records as the film becomes the second highest grossing anime film in the United States with an earning of $44.9 million.
The anime has overtaken Pokemon the Movie 2000, which had a total gross of $43.7 million dollars. To top the list of highest grossing anime films in the states, Demon Slayer has to overtake Pokemon The First Movie which has a strong record of $85.7 million gross earning.
As per Deadline, Demon Slayer’s final domestic gross is expected to be around $50 million so it will not be enough to beat Pokemon The First Movie.
Demon Slayer is the story of a boy and his demon sister and features spectacularly animated battles and is based on the manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was initially released on 16 October 2020 in Japan. The animated feature collected $21 million on its opening weekend in Japan; making a record for the highest collection ever for an anime.
In the overseas market, Demon Slayer has already made several box office records. In Japan, it has become the highest-grossing movie ever with ticket sales surpassing $368 million.
It has become the highest-grossing anime film to collect $477 million globally surpassing Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. It was also the highest-earning film worldwide in 2020. Its global gross stands at more than $475 million.
The legendary director Hayao Miyazaki considers this successful anime feature as a rival, according to Toshio Suzuki, his longtime producer at Studio Ghibli. In a show named Bokura no Jidai of Fuji TV, Suzuki said that Miyazaki is yet to see Mugen Train — but when he described the gist of it to Miyazaki replied, “That kind of film would be a hit. Well, to me it’s a rival.”
Well, when the legend himself appreciates it, it is safe to say that Demon Slayer’s creator Koyoharu Gotouge has surely done something right. And director Haruo Sotozaki has given justice to this brilliant manga.
We can’t wait to see what’s next in store.
