Demon Slayer has taken down Spirited Away to officially become the highest-grossing movie in Japan of all time. Demon Slayer has currently grossed 32.47 billion yen ($313.9 million), overtaking the record held by Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, which previously held the Japanese box office crown for almost two decades with 31.68 billion yen, which included a re-release in June.
Based on the manga of the same name by Koyoharu Gotōge, Demon Slayer focuses on a boy named Tanjiro, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps after his village is destroyed by demons, his family is slaughtered and his younger sister Nezuko is turned into one. The property didn’t become a phenomenon until it was adapted into an anime series.
Produced by Tokyo-based studio Ufotable, the 26-episode series aired on Tokyo MX and other channels in 2019, but gained popularity when it re-aired on Netflix and Fuji TV. This created a renewed interest in the manga, making it a runaway best-seller.
As of December, the Demon Slayer manga series has sold nearly 120 million copies.It has been translated into 14 languages and is available in 33 countries and regions. The film has also spawned a lot of merchandise, from toys to canned coffee, generating at least 270 billion yen($2.61 billion) till date.