Demon Slayer Movie Pushes Ahead as Japan's Third Highest-Grossing Film Ever

Demon Slayer has had an impressive year when it comes to sales, but not even the manga's numbers can hold a candle to what is going on at the box office. Back in October, the first ever film of the franchise was released in Japan. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Mugen Train sparked a fire in audiences as showings sold out across the country despite the pandemic. And now, a new box office update has confirmed the film's latest rank.

According to the update, Demon Slayer has earned 25,917,043,800 yen since it opened back in October. Nearly 20 million tickets have been sold in the 39 days since the film went live. Currently, Demon Slayer holds the third spot on Japan's list of highest-grossing movies to date. And so far, it seems the movie is poised to take over the second spot soon.

Japan's previous third place belonged to Frozen as the Disney-Pixar film grossed over 25.48 billion yen during its run in 2014. Demon Slayer has topped that as of this week, and it has to contend with Titanic next. The 1997 blockbuster earned 26.20 billion yen in Japan during its run. And once Demon Slayer climbs that hurdle, it will face off with Spirited Away. The Studio Ghibli movie grossed 30.80 billion yen in its domestic run, so Demon Slayer needs to make up a new billion yen.

When it comes to the film's global box office, the data is incomplete given how few markets have embraced Demon Slayer as of yet. The ongoing pandemic has made it difficult for movie theaters to welcome large groups in countries where COVID spread is uncontrolled. Currently, the plan is to bring Demon Slayer to theaters in the United States next year, but there is no telling when exactly because of the pandemic.

Are you surprised by this latest milestone? Do you believe Demon Slayer will top Japan's box office before long? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.