Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle just cleared the ¥100 billion (~$650–670M) global box-office milestone—an unprecedented feat for a Japanese film—while Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is putting up real numbers on its own run. This isn’t niche anymore; anime is playing in the same stadium as Hollywood tentpoles. And if you remember the Pokémon stampede of ’99, today’s moment is that energy—evolved.
Demon Slayer crossed ¥100B—why that matters
- Distributors confirmed Infinity Castle topped ¥100,000,000,000 worldwide—an all-time first for a Japanese film—and it’s still adding fuel (a huge China open helped push the total). That’s event-movie territory, not “anime niche.”
- The strategy is theatrical-first: no streaming until 2026, which concentrates demand into cinemas and keeps the run “must-see.” That windowing is part of why the box office is this loud.
What it signals: Studios can now “eventize” anime with premium formats, long windows, and global rollouts—and audiences will show up. That creates a bigger runway for budgets, marketing, and cross-media tie-ins going forward.
Chainsaw Man is chasing—turning hype into receipts
- Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc opened #1 in North America (≈$17M weekend), and its global gross sprinted past $100M quickly—now in the ~$160M+ range as runs expand. That’s real gravity, not just timeline noise.
Why the chase matters: When multiple anime films can coexist in the top 10 and rack up nine-figure worldwide totals, you’re looking at a durable market, not a one-title anomaly.
Flashback: when Pokémon stunned everyone
- In 1999, Pokémon: The First Movie shocked U.S. theaters with a $31M opening weekend and finished at $163.6M worldwide—a “wait, anime can do that?!” moment that rewired expectations in the West.
- For years, that Pokémon opening was the anime benchmark U.S. watchers cited; Demon Slayer is the franchise that finally reset those ceilings—first with Mugen Train, and now by smashing records and racing past the old yardsticks with Infinity Castle.
The Yarinuku take
This is the new normal: theaters + feeds. Demon Slayer dominates Saturdays in IMAX; Chainsaw Man detonates Mondays on your timeline. Studios will double down on premium windows, soundtrack plays, and event marketing. For fans, it means better animation, bigger rollouts, and more chances to make anime nights feel like playoff games.
See it through.
