Demon Slayer Movie Nabs First Stateside Screening But with a Catch

Demon Slayer has captured the imagination of fans around the world, and its anime has become a phenomenon without any reserves. The fantastical series welcomed its first movie to the world this past October, and to say it has done well would be an understatement. The debut film is already the highest-grossing movie in Japan to date, so all eyes are on the movie before season two goes live later this year. And now, it seems a screening is coming to the United States with a rather large catch backing it.

Well, that is until now. It seems Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train is ready to shake things up. A screening has appeared for the film stateside, but the singular outing has a catch to it.

As reported by Yahoo Japan, Demon Slayer is bringing its movie to the United States later this week in Miami, Florida. The movie will be shown in an extremely limited capacity as it is showing for just one week. The film will then slink away after the run because it turns out this screening was set up for the Academy Awards.

According to the report, Demon Slayer needed to be shared publicly in order to qualify for the Academy Awards this year. The film is currently seeking a nomination for Best Animated Film. Any movie that had been shown traditionally or online can be made eligible for selection, so Demon Slayer had to head to theaters pronto.

Of course, this preliminary screening may have fans gunning for a nationwide release, but those hopes need to be held back. In an interview with a Japan News Network spokesperson, word went out that a wide-scale release is not ready just yet. This special Miami screening of Demon Slayer is an exception to the highest order. However, the anime’s team has not finished a theatrical edition of Mugen Train for audiences around North America. There is no word on when that kind of screening will get the green light, but with COVID-19 still shuttering theaters across the nation, things will surely take it slow.

What do you make of this curious update? Do you plan on seeing Demon Slayer‘s movie as soon as it hits theaters stateside? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.