The time period between the summer and holiday movie seasons can yield some surprising results at the box office. That stretch typically is short on big-budget studio tentpoles that drive business over Fourth of July and Christmas, creating an avenue for something to come out and make a major splash. This September has already seen horror sequel The Conjuring: Last Rites take advantage of weak competition to post a record-shattering opening weekend, and now another new offering has worked its way into the history books. Anime film Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle debuted in United States theaters this weekend, and it’s off to a phenomenal start.
According to Deadline, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle grossed $33 million domestically on Friday, September 12th. That impressive haul puts it on track to earn somewhere between $56-60 million this weekend, which would be the biggest opening for a Sony film this year so far (a title previously held by 28 Years Later at $30 million). Depending on how well Infinity Castle holds after its massive Friday, there’s a chance it could earn as much as $70 million over its first three days.
How Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Dominated the Box Office This Weekend
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle hit theaters at the perfect time, arriving during a relatively soft part of the Hollywood release calendar. Since Weapons debuted in early August and exceeded expectations, the only other new release to make any kind of real dent at the box office was the aforementioned Conjuring: Last Rites. Over Labor Day weekend, fresh arrivals Caught Stealing and The Roses were overshadowed by the 50th anniversary re-release of Jawsillustrating how little interest there’s been in the new titles. Even the critically acclaimed Stephen King adaptation The Long Walkopening alongside Demon Slayeris only estimated to gross $11-13.5 million domestically.
In addition to a lack of competition, Demon Slayer‘s popularity helped it surge to the top of the box office charts. Infinity Castle is based on one the highest-selling manga series of all time, meaning the property has a global, sizable fan base that was eager to see the action on the big screen. It also didn’t hurt that Infinity Castle earned very positive reviews, boasting a 97% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. That kind of reception illustrated it was worth making the trip to the theater to see the film, giving the box office prospects a major boost.
The success of Demon Slayers: Infinity Castle comes as something of a reprieve for Sony, which infamously sold Kpop Demon Hunters to Netflix for $20 million. Of course, Kpop Demon Hunters quickly became one of the biggest Netflix films of all time and posted strong box office numbers in a special, one-weekend limited release, so Sony potentially lost out on a massive animated blockbuster. Seeing Demon Slayers: Infinity Castle perform this well makes that pill a bit more easier to swallow, as Sony’s scored its biggest opening in a couple of years. Infinity Castle is projected to top the debuts for high-profile films like Venom: The Last Dance.
It will be interesting to see how Demon Slayers: Infinity Castle holds up over the next few weeks. Films that have big openings have a tendency to be frontloaded, as business is driven primarily by hype from die-hard fans enthusiastic about the film’s release. That can lead to massive second weekend drops, hurting long-term projections. But even if Demon Slayers slips a bit, there’s a chance it could repeat as box office champ next weekend. Upcoming releases like football horror movie Him and romantic fantasy drama A Big Bold Beautiful Journey aren’t expected to be major draws, which could create an opening for Infinity Castle to hold on to the No. 1 spot.
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