The Japanese box office has once again witnessed the phenomenal drawing power of the Demon Slayer franchise. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns has debuted with a historic opening, setting new records for both single-day and opening weekend earnings in Japan.
The highly anticipated film earned an estimated ¥1.5 billion ($10 million) on its opening day, surpassing the previous record of ¥1.28 billion ($12 million) set by Demon Slayer: Mugen Train in 2020. Revised estimates suggest the Friday opening could have reached as high as ¥1.75 billion ($11.75 million), making it the largest single-day box office performance in Japan by gross revenue rather than admissions.
Momentum only grew stronger through the weekend. On Saturday, Infinity Castle added another ¥1.75 billion, followed by an extraordinary ¥2.2 billion ($14.8 million) on Sunday. This Sunday haul now stands as the biggest single-day gross in Japanese box office history for any film, whether domestic or international. The three-day opening weekend total has reached an unprecedented ¥5.9 billion ($40 million), breaking records previously held by its franchise predecessor, Mugen Train.
Infinity Castle marks a pivotal moment for the Demon Slayer series, adapting the climactic “Infinity Castle” arc from Koyoharu Gotouge’s original manga. Unlike previous compilation films such as To the Swordsmith Village (2023) and To the Hashira Training (2024), this trilogy offers a full-length cinematic adaptation of the storyline, much like the critically acclaimed Mugen Train before it.
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable, Infinity Castle is structured as a trilogy, with the first part premiering in Japan on July 18, 2025. Distribution is handled by Aniplex and Toho, with plans for release across select Asian markets in August and a global rollout beginning in September.
The franchise’s earlier film, Mugen Train, earned over $506 million worldwide, with $386 million coming from Japan alone. It remains the highest-grossing Japanese animated film to date. Given Infinity Castle’s record-setting start, industry observers now question whether it might challenge Mugen Train’s monumental box office legacy.
