Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train has dethroned Spirited Away as the most successful film in Japanese history, and it’s coming to a theater near you.
2020 was a rough time for movies, for obvious reasons. But in Japan, where coronavirus cases and deaths were kept to a relative minimum, there was one huge success: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, which earned around $290.4 million at the Japanese box office, which officially makes it the most successful Japanese film ever, dethroning previous chapmion Spirited Away.
The Demon Slayer movie is a continuation of the Demon Slayer series, which is an adaptation of the stupendously successful Demon Slayer manga series Koyoharu Gotouge. The story is set in the early 1900s and follows Tanjiro, whose family is killed by demons, all save his sister, who is turned into a demon herself. Joining up with the illustrious Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro sets off on a quest to cure his sister.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the series picked up a lot of traction in quarantine, when lots of people were stuck inside looking for something to read. The movie is actually set after the TV series, and involves Tanjiro and company investigating a rash of mysterious disappearances on board a train.
And now, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is coming to the U.S. and Canada. It’ll be in theaters on April 23, in both subtitled and dubbed versions. Tickets will go on sale April 9 from Funimation. “Demon Slayer’s record-breaking box office sales in Japan have elevated the series — and anime itself — to a new level,” said Colin Decker, CEO of Funimation Global Group. “It is a truly global-scale franchise, and we’re honored to be the home and distributor of the film in many territories worldwide.”
Will Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (man, that is a long title) catch on in the U.S. like it did in Japan? Now’s our chance to find out.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels