Anime Slumps at The Box Office in Japan to Close Out 2025

No one will deny that 2025 was a giant year for anime, and arguably, one of the medium’s biggest years ever. At the box office specifically, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle reigned supreme as the new number one anime movie of all time, while films like Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc and Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution have been holding their own. Unfortunately, despite the massive gains, anime couldn’t hold the top spot forever as Japan’s latest weekend saw many of the titans tumble in the face of some new releases.

The biggest anime movie running in Japan these days is the compilation film, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution. While the previous weekend saw it take the number four spot, the fourth weekend for the film dropped it down to number seven. Right behind Yuji Itadori was Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle at number eight, though the longevity of the film in the top ten is nothing to sneeze at since it initially hit the silver screen in July of this year. Finally, Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc slumped down to the number ten spot, knocked down a few pegs from its fifth place spot the weekend before. Ultimately, while this might seem discouraging to anime fans, there’s no reason to fear when it comes to the lower tallies for anime in Japan to close out the year.

So what defeated anime at the box office this past weekend? Surprisingly enough, a documentary following the recent exploits of the band, Ms. Green Apple, took the number one spot in MGA Magical 10 Years Documentary Film -The Origin-. Ironically, the performance that was a part of this documentary, MGA Magical 10 Years Anniversary Live -Fjord- On Screen took the number three spot, proving how big the band is. Live-action films Glorious Back Home, Tokyo Taxi, and Night Flower rounded out the top five, dethroning some of the big anime hits.

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Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Has Changed Anime Forever

Worry Not, Anime Fans

While anime is ending 2025 with a whimper in Japan, it should be nothing to worry about. The mere fact that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is still in the top ten at the box office almost half a year following its initial release is amazing. While not having as long a history on the big screen, Denji’s adventures in The Reze Arc still held strong. Finally, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution might have new material from season three, but it remains ultimately a compilation film of footage made for television. Set to arrive in theatres this week in North America, it will be interesting to see how the recreation of the Shibuya Incident Arc, and introduction to the Culling Game, performs in the West.

As for next year, fans shouldn’t expect Denji or Tanjiro to return to the silver screen, but there will be plenty of anime coming to theatres all the same. Franchises like Gundam, Gintama, Madoka Magica, Assassination Classroom, and Detective Conan all have movies planned.

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