Demon Slayer Movie Expected to Topple Spirited Away Record by the New Year

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been on a hot streak like never before this year. The series has been selling like mad since its anime debuted over a year ago, and the manga continues to rack up sales despite it having ended this year. Nowadays, the series is back in the news thanks to its film, and a new report suggests Demon Slayer will overtake Studio Ghibli to earn the prize of highest-grossing movie ever in Japan.

The update comes from Deadline as the trade has been doing box office checks during the pandemic. It goes without saying the industry has been flipped upside down because of the pandemic, but Demon Slayer is breaking the mould. After all, the movie debuted back in October to a mind-boggling opening, and it has only continued to rake in cash.

According to the report, Demon Slayer brought in an additional $6 million USD this black weekend which brings its gross to $276 million. Obviously, this total is impressive when you realize Japan is the country driving this cash as Demon Slayer's film has a yet to debut elsewhere in most cases. The United States will not get access to the movie until next year at the earliest, and the same goes for the United Kingdom.

With this new total in mind, Demon Slayer is just $20 million USD from taking a place held by Spirited Away. Studio Ghibli's iconic movie has been the highest-grossing film in Japan since its release years ago. Now, Demon Slayer is threatening to take over that spot, and Deadline expects the movie to earn first place before the new year based on current trends. And if that is the case, it seems Chihiro will have met her match thanks to Kyojuro Rengoku himself.

What do you make of this latest box office projection for Demon Slayer? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.