Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is officially the biggest anime movie of all time, surpassing Demon Slayer: Mugen Train and countless competitors from the medium. At this point in time, it appears as though the only thing that will be able to defeat the Demon Slayer Corps at the box office is the Demon Slayer Corps itself. With two more movies set to arrive in the future to round out the film trilogy, Crunchyroll’s CEO wants to put the icing on the cake when it comes to shonen franchise’s success as he is rallying for Academy Award gold.
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In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini was all-in when it came to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle winning an Academy Award. Anime taking home Oscar gold is nothing new for the award ceremony, as Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and The Boy And The Heron are two prime examples. While a shonen film has yet to win an Academy Award, that isn’t stopping Purini, “We think the movie is incredible — the animation, the story, the quality on all fronts. So yes, the fans absolutely deserve for the movie to be considered for awards. We’ll do our part to make sure it gets the right level of support to be considered in all of the categories it could be eligible for.”
Crunchyroll’s Success Thanks to The Hashira
Obviously, the anime streaming service has seen some big success thanks to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s box office haul. In his chat with THR, Purini had the following to say, “We’ve always talked about wanting to be everything for someone — that anime fan — rather than something for everyone. This theatrical success creates a halo and momentum for the other parts of that flywheel, whether it’s merchandise, games, anime music or the streaming service itself. For example, in August, we created a promotion that allowed people to watch an entire season of the Demon Slayer series outside of our subscription service. We’re continuing that offer now. So people who’ve heard about this movie, or went to check it out with friends, can now come and experience the full TV show, too. Our goal is to make sure these new viewers have an amazing experience. Hopefully, we can then introduce them to a few more shows they’ll enjoy — and then there’s a whole universe of fandom waiting for them.”
The Crunchyroll CEO also confirmed that while younger generations helped push the box office to the top spot, older generations also had a hand in the Hashira’s success. “Gen Z and Gen Alpha are a huge part of this fandom. But that doesn’t mean they’re the only age groups. We saw a lot of parents coming to see Infinity Castle with their kids, and there were many fans in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Anime fandom does overindex among the young, though.”
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Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
