This isn’t just a fluke at the North American box office. “Demon Slayer” has grossed nearly $80 million in the U.S. as a franchise since 2021. That’s a significant amount, especially considering that these movies are often released on relatively empty weekends when theaters can rely on help. In 2022, another of his long-running popular series will see the light of day on the big screen, with Dragon Ball Super Heroes topping the charts.
Perhaps even more impressive was the rise of “The Boy and the Heron” last year. Although Hayao Miyazaki is an absolute legend, he has never seen success on that level, and the film ultimately grossed nearly $46 million in the United States. It was one of the biggest surprises in the second half of 2023, along with “Godzilla Minus One.” Granted, these animated films often see a huge drop in ratings during their second weekend of release, but that hardly matters. U.S. ticket sales are often just a icing on the cake for distributors, as the success of these projects is not dependent on this market. However, as American studios and theaters embrace anime (and imported Japanese anime in general), a reliable market is emerging.
Even if box office returns return to relative normalcy and things stabilize, these anime releases will likely remain. This audience will finally have their needs met and will definitely come back again and again. in short? Anime helps with that.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Pillar Training” is currently in theaters.
