To say that Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Infinity Castle is one of the most anticipated anime movies of all time would be an understatement. But some fans are risking incarceration to line their own pockets from the film’s success. The first film in a new trilogy opened in Japan on July 18th, and it’s shooting up the all-time Japanese box office, with the top spot currently held by Demon Slayer‘s Mugen Train movie.
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Fans around the world have to wait until September to see the movie. Infinity Castle opens in the US, Canada, and the UK on September 12th, causing fans to desperately duck spoilers online. But, as well as avoiding spoilers, fans also have to hide from the entire movie, which Japanese fans are attempting to upload online and sell. However, as reported by The Sankei Shimbun, Japanese authorities are clamping down hard on any who attempts to illegally share the film, and the first victim of the Anti-Video Piracy Breathing form has just been slain.
Demon Slayer Fan Arrested for Filming Infinity Castle
Per The Sankei Shimbun, 24-year-old Shim Jun-woo was arrested on suspicion of filming Infinity Castle in secret from the back of a screening in Japan. Shim was arrested prior to the current charge for allegedly using someone else’s credit card to purchase around 200 Blu-ray discs, totaling 1.3 million yen (around $8.5k). During the initial arrest, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Otsuka Police Station confiscated Shim’s phone, and the station claims it found footage of the entire Infinity Castle movie on the phone. The footage had reportedly been taken from an opening day screening of the film on July 18th.
Shim denies filming the movie. This is far from the first clampdown on leaks of the Infinity Castle movie. In May, the theater-exclusive trailer shown before the Mugen Train 4K re-release was leaked online, prompting Infinity Castle‘s production committee to issue legal notices.
Infinity Castle Is Already a Gigantic Success
It comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that Infinity Castle has been a blazing box office success. After opening in Japan on July 18th, the film is already the third-highest-grossing Japanese movie ever made, and it hasn’t even been released internationally yet. As previously mentioned, Mugen Train holds first place, Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away in second. Third place was previously held by Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name until Infinity Castle stole the bronze medal position.
Infinity Castle opens in the US on September 12th. Expect the film’s international release to help it soar past Mugen Train‘s previous box office record.
H/T: The Sankei Shimbun
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