'Kimetsu no Yaiba' Tops Japanese Anime Box Office, Surpassing 'Spirited Away'

Box Office Revenue of 344 Billion KRW

Korean poster of the Japanese animated film 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba ? Mugen Train'. Photo by Naver Movie.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] The Japanese animated film 'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' (鬼滅の刃-無限列車編) has set a new box office record in Japan.

On the 28th, distributor Toho announced, "The film's domestic box office revenue in Japan reached 32.12 billion yen (approximately 340 billion KRW) as of the 26th," adding, "It has become the highest-grossing animated film."

As of the previous day (the 27th), the box office revenue was 32.47 billion yen, with an audience of 24.04 million people.

Until now, the highest-grossing animated film in Japan was Hayao Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away.' Released in 2001, 'Spirited Away' surpassed 30 billion yen in box office revenue after 253 days.

However, 'Demon Slayer,' released on October 16, surpassed the 30 billion yen mark in just 59 days and exceeded the cumulative revenue of 'Spirited Away' (31.68 billion yen) within 72 days of its release.

'Demon Slayer' is a theatrical version of a TV series animation based on the original manga by popular Japanese manga artist Koyoharu Gotouge.

The film is set in the Taisho era (1912?1926) and tells the adventure story of a male protagonist who fights various demons to turn his younger sister, who has been transformed into a demon, back into a human.