Hot News in Japan and the US: Demon Slayer’s Record-Breaking Box Office Success

This week’s biggest news in both Japan and the United States is undoubtedly the record-breaking box office debut of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle” in America. The film earned $33 million on its opening day, marking the highest record for a Japanese film since “Pokémon: The First Movie” earned $31 million in 1999. The three-day weekend total exceeded $70 million, with just three days of box office performance nearly approaching the highest all-time record for Japanese films in the US, and setting the highest opening record for Crunchyroll and Sony in America this year.

The previous US box office champion was the horror film “The Conjuring: Last Rites” (as a fan of this series, I can only say I was disappointed – it should just end already!). After Demon Slayer’s opening, it was immediately slayed by Demon Slayer, dropping to second place – truly demon-slayed.

The film also received excellent critical scores in the US. At the time of writing, it holds an 8.7 rating on IMDB and 97%/98% on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN’s 6/10 score was even criticized by readers (low scores aren’t necessarily wrong, but I personally feel that review’s amateurish level insulted IGN’s own brand standards…).

—Original Japanese Audio Version Proves Popular—

Sony/Crunchyroll simultaneously released both English dub and original Japanese with subtitles versions in North America to cater to different audience preferences. Surprisingly, according to a Yahoo report, 55% of users chose the original Japanese version, demonstrating that Japanese voice acting has become a globally accepted performance medium, which aligns with the recent increase in Japanese voice actors’ activities in the Americas. Here’s an interesting additional survey: Netflix’s global data shows that 80% to 90% of anime viewers tend to choose dubbed versions, but anime platform Crunchyroll’s data shows roughly 50-50 splits in many regions.

—Popularity Transcending Ethnic Demographics—

According to US media, the film’s audience was quite diverse ethnically, with Asian viewers not comprising an overwhelming majority. Latino audiences made up 37%, Caucasians 24%, African Americans 16%, and only 14% Asian viewers, showing remarkable diversity.

—American Domestic Animation’s Disadvantaged Position—

After a decade of streaming influence, various ideological considerations have affected American film and television works. Recently, even Disney executives have stated they want to compete for young male audiences (turns out they do care?). Riding this massive wave of Eastern ascendance and Western decline, Japanese anime has been staging a “Black Ships in reverse” counterattack in recent years. Traditional American family-friendly animated blockbusters have provided space for “Demon Slayer,” which clearly targets young audiences, particularly the male demographic. According to US media Deadline, this film’s audience was predominantly male (57%), mainly consisting of ticket buyers aged 18-34.

—Seasonal Advantage and Streaming Tailwinds—

Timing-wise, September is generally considered “off-season,” lacking heavyweight blockbusters after summer releases and before the year-end holiday season in the West, giving “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” an opportunity. In the manga market, Japanese manga has long dominated over Western comics, and recent streaming charts clearly show Japanese anime and Korean dramas have penetrated the heartland of Western markets. Around each film release, earlier seasons of Demon Slayer frequently return to charts, and streaming rewatching significantly lowers barriers for new audiences, allowing viewership to build wave upon wave – an advantage previously difficult to achieve.

—Eastern Winds Blow Strong, How Will the West Respond?—

Disney executives seem to have taken action to reclaim the young male market, but market and online reactions have been lukewarm, with many cold mockery and ridicule. After all these years, these audiences have already found new loves – Japanese anime, Korean entertainment, esports gaming, and other forms have each developed their unique cultural circles. Conquering them is no easy task, especially when Disney’s male-oriented IPs have already been damaged, with significantly reduced appeal.

On the other hand, the Japanese industry seems proactive, but excessive growth isn’t necessarily good. As previously analyzed through animation studio financial data, under such prosperity, rising personnel costs mean many animation production companies barely profit or even operate at losses.

I remember when we were young, some American anime fans would teach everyone that “when you grow up, you should watch American comics/animation” – it felt so sophisticated. Who would have thought that decades later, American animation and comics, once hailed as cutting-edge and world-class, would face such threats. Life truly offers endless surprises the longer you live.

Images generated by AI.