Demon Slayer's box office surpasses 100 billion yen, setting a new record in Japanese film history.
[Epoch Times, November 19, 2025] (Epoch Times reporter Tong Yijia) On November 17, Sony Group distributors Aniplex and Toho announced that as of November 16, the Japanese animated film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle" had grossed 106.3 billion yen (approximately US$675 million) worldwide, setting a record for the first Japanese film to surpass 100 billion yen in global box office revenue. The film is also among the top five highest-grossing films worldwide in 2025.
The animated film *Infinity Castle* is the second theatrical film in the *Demon Slayer* series and serves as the prelude to the final battle trilogy in the manga. The film tells the story of Taisho-era Japan, where human society appears peaceful on the surface, but demons roam freely in the shadows. These demons possess immense power and regenerative abilities, and they devour humans. To combat them, humanity establishes a secret organization, the "Demon Slayer Corps," composed of swordsmen skilled in various martial arts, whose ultimate goal is to slay demons. The film continues the series' signature blend of action and pathos, featuring vividly portrayed characters, high-quality animation and soundtrack, and resonates universally with its themes of protecting family, friendship, and morality.
Demon Slayer sets a new global box office record for Japanese films.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, the film has received both critical acclaim and box office success since its release on July 18th of this year. In Japan, after 122 days in theaters, it has accumulated 26,045,587 viewers and grossed 37.9 billion yen (approximately US$242 million), second only to its predecessor, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, which achieved remarkable success during the pandemic, and surpassing Studio Ghibli's 2001 film, Spirited Away. Moreover, its box office performance continues to rise.
On August 17, distributors Aniplex and Toho announced that the film, released in 157 countries and regions outside Japan since August, including North America and China on November 14, had attracted 89.17 million viewers worldwide and grossed 68.4 billion yen as of November 16. Including domestic box office revenue in Japan, the total box office reached 106.3 billion yen, making it the first Japanese film to surpass the 100 billion yen mark at the global box office.
Despite the deteriorating relations between China and Japan, "Demon Slayer" still performed well at the Chinese box office.
It is worth noting that despite the current tense Sino-Japanese relations and the sluggish Chinese economy, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle" still sparked a movie-going frenzy after its release in mainland China on November 14.
According to data from Maoyan Professional Edition, a Chinese online film information platform, the film grossed over 400 million RMB in its first five days in China. Furthermore, it broke the record for the highest-grossing imported animated film in Chinese film history with 181 million RMB in pre-sales before its official release. Nikkei Chinese website reported: "At a Shanghai cinema, screenings began after midnight on November 14th. Despite the late hour, many enthusiastic fans still went to see the film. One female internet celebrity said she was moved by the pure love story..."
However, on the same day that Japanese pop culture was enjoying great success in Chinese cinemas, warning signs emerged in real-world Sino-Japanese relations. In stark contrast to the enthusiastic reception on screen, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a so-called "security alert" regarding Japan on the 16th.
Recently, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks about "Taiwan in trouble," the Chinese Communist Party reacted strongly. Xue Jian, the Chinese Consul General in Osaka, posted a startling message on social media: "That filthy head that trespassed should be cut off without hesitation. Are you prepared?" In response, some within the Japanese government have called for Xue to be declared persona non grata.
As tensions between Japan and China escalate, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued travel and study warnings for Japan. The Japanese government responded that the CCP's travel warnings are "inconsistent" with the agreements between the two countries.
According to a report by the mainland Chinese media outlet Dahe Daily on November 18, under pressure from official "warnings" from the Chinese Communist Party, the box office of the film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie - Infinity Castle" has declined for three consecutive days. On November 17, the film's box office was 25.39 million yuan, a decrease of 64.6 million yuan from the previous day. Some reports even claim that due to the boycott of "Demon Slayer," the number of people requesting refunds in mainland China has exceeded one million.
Furthermore, news has emerged from mainland Chinese cinemas that several Japanese films have either been withdrawn from or postponed their release, including but not limited to *Cells at Work!*, *Crayon Shin-chan: The Burning Dancers of Aoichibe*, *Yesterday's Youth*, and *Exit No. 8*. The currently showing *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle* may also end its run on November 20th.
Boycotting Japanese films is a loss for China.
The mainland Chinese self-media outlet "Light and Shadow New World" wrote: "Demon Slayer may be pulled from theaters on November 20. Boycotting Japanese films will only hurt ourselves."
The article analyzes that, in order to protect domestic films, the Chinese Communist Party has always limited the number of imported revenue-sharing films to 36 per year. These 36 films are limited to imported revenue-sharing films, which are usually released simultaneously with their foreign release dates or with a short time difference. However, the annual quota of 36 films is far from enough, so the concepts of special films (usually referring to 3D films, exclusively for the Chinese market) and "quota films" have emerged.
Information from social media platforms indicates that the official account for "Demon Slayer" is registered under the name "Maoyan," suggesting that Maoyan is likely the company that purchased the film's distribution rights. If the film's theatrical run expires on the 20th, Maoyan will no longer receive any box office revenue, and its profit or loss will depend on the cost of acquiring the rights. China Film Group, responsible for importing the film, will also suffer a loss as it will not receive subsequent distribution fees.
The biggest losers are the cinemas. Data shows that "Demon Slayer" has been a major contributor to the mainland box office since its initial release, still accounting for 36.6% of screenings and a staggering 68.7% of box office revenue. The end of "Demon Slayer's" run won't lead to higher box office returns for other films; it will only result in lower revenue for cinemas.
In addition, "Crayon Shin-chan," which was originally scheduled to be released in mainland China on December 6, was already released in Japan on August 8 this year. If nothing unexpected happens, the film is a "bought-out" film with the exclusive rights purchased by China (imported films with exclusive rights are usually not released simultaneously, but have been released overseas, and the importer buys the rights at a lower price to release them in China). "Cells at Work!" was released in Japan last December, and it is highly likely that it is also a "bought-out" film with the exclusive rights purchased by China.
This means that the postponement of the two films' release in China has no impact on the Japanese production companies, as they had already received the copyright fees from the Chinese companies. Therefore, the Chinese companies bear the loss, as the saying goes, "The money was paid, but the films cannot be released."
Despite the pressure, Demon Slayer remains popular in the Chinese market.
As for the currently showing "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle," according to the distributor, the film was imported by "China Film Group" and officially released on November 14. The key is divided into 6 phases. The first 3 phases are issued every 3 days. There were rumors that the film would be taken off the screen after the second phase key expires (November 20). However, many film bloggers posted screenshots, claiming that the third phase key has been obtained and that the film will continue to be shown in local theaters after the 20th. The third phase key period is until November 23.
According to sources familiar with the matter in mainland China, the Chinese distributor of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle" acquired the exclusive rights to the film for 70 million RMB. If it is pulled from theaters early, local distributors will be affected. Furthermore, once the film reaches its break-even point of 370 million RMB at the box office, the Japanese production company will participate in the revenue sharing.
Affected by the news of the withdrawal of Japanese films from theaters, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle" has been trending on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Opinions among Chinese netizens are polarized: some say, "If you're going to take it down, then take it down! I unconditionally support my country! Remember history!" while others urgently cry out, "I haven't seen it yet, don't take it down! Let me finish watching it!", "This is a positive film, how can it be withdrawn! I'm going to watch it two or three times!", and "Those who want to see it should go now, in case it really gets taken down."
Editor: Yang Ming
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