castle movie: Anime has been regarded as a niche genre in Hollywood that has gradually but steadily gained attention in the domestic box office. Nevertheless, the incredible popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – Infinity Castle is making the film industry reevaluate the role of anime as a means to appeal to mass audiences in the U.S.
Infinity Castle, distributed by Crunchyroll owned by Sony, grabbed the number one position at the box office even though its opening weekend had deflation of 76 percent. It made $17.3 million on Friday through Sunday, reaching its overall domestic total of 104.73 million in only nine days.
Anime’s Rise in Popularity
Traditionally, anime movies have not performed well beyond the box office in the U.S. with a 50 million mark. Over 100 anime movies have been released since 2000 and none has ever hit such heights before, until now. In 2024, a poll of Gen Z by Vox Media and Polygon found that 42 percent of all people in the generation watch anime every week, indicating an increase in the popularity of the genre among the younger generation.
Infinity Castle has also garnered critical acclaim, with a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 69 Metacritic score.
Should this be a trend and not an exception, it will present a new genre of movies that studios and theatres can proudly put on the big screen, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore.
Long-term attention by Gen Z and Gen Alpha has been one of the key driving forces in the success of the movie, providing Sony and Crunchyroll with a surprise success in September.
Breaking Records and Expanding Audiences
It is, according to Dergarabedian, somewhat unparalleled that an international anime movie would perform this well in the U.S., since the buzz among younger viewers can cut both ways: it can dissipate or it can keep climbing, like the 2025 performance of the Warner Bros. movie. The Minecraft Movie, and has made a gross worldwide of 424M.
The record-breaking performance of Infinity Castle has also introduced anime to audiences who might not have previously considered watching Demon Slayer. Robbins explains:
“It inspires people to explore content they might not have encountered otherwise, reaching virtually every corner of the anime fandom.”
On Friday, Infinity Castle became the highest-grossing anime film domestically, surpassing Warner Bros.’ 1999 hit Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back, which earned $85 million.
Box Office Snapshot: Competition and Overall Trends
Although Infinity Castle topped the weekend box office, Him, the new release by Universal Pictures came in with a low opening of 13.5 million, which was below the projected performance. Directed by Jordan Peele, the movie has a low 29 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Original films without strong reviews or brand recognition often face tougher openings,” said Dergarabedian.
The other high can be found in the Conjuring: The Last Rite, by Warner Bros., with its $12.95 million, and a tie between the Lionsgate release The Long Walk and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which both managed to raise only 6.3 million.
The overall box office revenue on the weekend was about 75 million as compared to 83 million last year. The total box office revenue has only increased by 4.38 percent since January based on the Comscore data.
“Last weekend’s spike was largely due to Demon Slayer’s massive $70+ million opening,” Dergarabedian added. “Box office performance naturally fluctuates week to week.”
Key Takeaways:
- Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is now the highest-grossing anime film in the U.S., signaling a surge in anime popularity.
- Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences are driving sustained box office momentum.
- The movie’s success could reshape Hollywood’s approach to international animation.
- The weekend box office totalled $75 million, showing moderate growth over last year despite fluctuations.