'Demon Slayer' movie smashes Japanese box office records, becomes fastest to hit ¥10 billion

Tokyo: The latest cinematic adaptation of the immensely popular manga and anime series, "Demon Slayer," is setting new box office benchmarks in Japan. The film has become the fastest movie to gross 10 billion yen (approximately $67 million), achieving this remarkable feat in just eight days since its release on July 18.

This groundbreaking performance surpasses the previous record, which was held by the last instalment of the "Demon Slayer" series itself, having reached the 10-billion-yen mark in 10 days back in 2020. Kogyo Tsushinsha, an industry body that tracks movie sales, confirmed the new record on Monday.

The movie's official X account expressed gratitude to its dedicated fanbase and cinema staff, stating, "We thank each and every fan who came to movie theatres and theatre staff who are delivering this to the fans."

"Demon Slayer," originally a manga comic book series created by artist Koyoharu Gotouge, has garnered massive global success, selling over 200 million copies worldwide, according to its publisher Shueisha. The series follows the combat adventures of young hero Tanjiro Kamado as he battles demons in his quest to find a cure for his sister, who has been transformed into one. Its intense popularity is often compared to other global anime giants like "Dragon Ball," "Naruto," and "One Piece." The original manga ran in the popular Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 2016 to 2020.

With inputs from AFP