Box Office Report for the Week of September 14

No surprise for anyone who paid attention, but Demon Slayer is huge. In fact, I would say that it’s one of the biggest IPs anywhere in the world, rivaling the likes of, yes, Marvel and DC. The first movie in the franchise, Mugen Train, grossed $500 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the anime series continues to break viewing records on Crunchyroll.

It’s then completely unsurprising to me that the first of a planned trilogy of films set to conclude the anime, Infinity Castle, would break a bunch of records at the box office, exceeding initial expectations and becoming the highest-grossing movie of the weekend with a $70 million opening. With this, it has set a record as the biggest opening for an international movie in the history of the U.S. box office, and the biggest opening ever for an anime title.

It is also the biggest opening for Sony in two years, after a rather disappointing streak of movies. Right around the corner, Chainsaw Man  – The Movie: Reze Arc, is also poised to be a massive hit when it makes its way into cinemas next month. People who underestimate anime’s appeal, or fail to recognize the massive franchises, are often shocked that such a movie could become the number one at the domestic box office. But as someone who was on the Demon Slayer train since the start, seeing my local cinema selling out most of their IMAX showings brings a great smile to my face.

As for the other new releases this weekend, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale performed as expected with an $18.1 million opening, and The Long Walk, which arguably had the biggest critical buzz and push of the week, couldn’t match the sheer power of Demon Slayer with a $11.5 million opening. Meanwhile, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues was a complete flop, debuting in ninth place with a meager $1.2 million tally despite having access to IMAX screens and large-format theaters.

Many re-releases also hit the top ten, with Toy Story and The Sound of Music, respectively, making $3.5 million and $1.4 million with their 30th and 60th anniversary reissues. Next week, Apollo 13 will be making its way to IMAX theatres for 30th anniversary restoration screenings, and could also make its way to the top ten, as the landscape is slowing down before awards season is in full swing. Joey and several Awards Radar staff members have returned from TIFF, and the competition is looking to be quite fierce, as the contenders are slowly going to pop up and make their mark sooner than later.

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:

1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle (Sony): $70M – 3,315 theatres
2. The Conjuring: Last Rites (Warner Bros): $26.1M (-69%) – 3,802 theatres
3. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Universal): $18.1M – 3,694 theatres
4. The Long Walk (Lionsgate): $11.5M – 2,845 theatres
5. Toy Story: 30th Anniversary Re-Release (Disney): $3.5M – 2,375 theatres
6. Weapons (Warner Bros): $2.7M (-48%) – 2,310 theatres
7. Hamilton (Disney): $2.2M (-78%) – 1,850 theatres
8. Freakier Friday (Disney): $2.1M (-46%) – 2,460 theatres
9. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (Bleecker Street): $1.6M – 1,920 theatres
10. The Sound of Music: 60th Anniversary Re-Release (Disney): $1.4M – 1,206 theatres

Source: Comscore