‘Demon Slayer’ dethrones ‘Spirited Away’ to become Japan’s highest-grossing film

Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train has dethroned Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away as the highest-grossing film in Japan.

As reported by Kyodo News, the sequel to the extremely popular anime series has grossed ¥32.47 billion ($313 million) since its debut on Oct. 16, surpassing Miyazaki’s 2001 Oscar winner, which earned ¥31.68 billion in box office sales.

Co-distributors Aniplex Inc. and Toho previously said that Mugen Train generated box office sales amounting to ¥10.75 billion ($102.48 million) in just 10 days, beating the record of Spirited Away, which took 25 days to reach a revenue of ¥10 billion. The anime film also had the biggest three-day opening with ¥4.62 billion.

Based on the best-selling manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, the anime series follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his journey to find a cure for his sister Nezuko, who turned into a demon following their family’s brutal murder.

The movie, meanwhile, continues the events of the anime series’ first season. After completing their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke embark on a new mission with Kyojuro Rengoku to take on the demon responsible for the disappearance of forty people aboard the Mugen Train.

The first season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is available on Netflix.

(Images from IMDB)