Demon Slayer Tops Zombie Daughter to Become No. 1 at Domestic Box Office This Year... First Japanese Film to Do So

Cumulative Audience Surpasses 5.63 Million
Highest Attendance and Revenue of the Year
Sets All-Time Record for Japanese Animated Films in Korea

The Japanese animated film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle Arc" has taken the top spot at the domestic box office this year.

According to distributor Animax Broadcasting Korea on November 22, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle Arc" has attracted a cumulative audience of approximately 5,638,000 as of this date.

With this, the film has surpassed the previous record of about 5,637,000 set by "Zombie Daughter," which had held the number one spot at the domestic box office this year. This marks the first time an animated film has claimed the overall top spot in the annual domestic box office rankings.

The film is also reported to have a high special screening rate, with about 19% of viewers choosing formats such as 4DX, IMAX, and Dolby Cinema.

Among foreign animated films, "Frozen 2" drew approximately 13,369,000 viewers in 2019, but ranked only third in the annual box office that year, behind "Extreme Job" and "Avengers: Endgame."

Based on the manga and anime of the same name, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle Arc" is the first installment in the three-part finale of the "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" series. The story depicts the demon lord Muzan Kibutsuji luring the Demon Slayer Corps members into the demon stronghold, Infinity Castle, for a climactic battle.

As the film portrays the final confrontation between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons, each character's narrative is depicted in detail, and the animation quality has contributed to its popularity, leading to many viewers returning for repeat screenings.

"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle Arc," which premiered on August 22, surpassed 1 million viewers within two days of release and reached 3 million in just ten days, marking the fastest audience growth among this year's releases. Earlier this month, it also broke the previous all-time box office record for a Japanese animated film, overtaking "Suzume" (2023), which had drawn about 5,589,000 viewers.