Produced by Toho, the new entry in the Demon Slayer franchise trampled over the lifetime total of previous high-grosser Demon Slayer: Mugen Train ($50.27M) as well as the previous record anime opener Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back ($31M debut).
It should crush the latter’s $85.7M domestic total soon to become the biggest domestic anime title of all-time.
After doing stellar business in Asia, the new Demon Slayer landed at the upper end of our projection panel’s predictions.
The Demon Slayer franchise as a whole surpassed the $1B mark this weekend as well.
That was enough to open significantly ahead of Downton Abbey to secure the #2 spot, but clearly Demon Slayer took a big bite of the box office pie.
Important Takeaways.
Gross for the 3-Day Weekend.
$147,907,505 | +36.7 percent Weekend 37, 2024 / +16.2 percent Last Week.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle brought in $70 million for the largest anime opening ever, demonstrating the enormous growing audience for the subgenre and providing yet another example of an unexpected hit upending the market. The Grand Finale of Downton Abbey brought in $18.1M, while The Conjuring: Last Rites had a sharp decline but still did a great job at $26.1M. As the overall box office surpassed this frame in 2024, when Beetlejuice remained at the top of its sophomore frame, a number of repertory titles helped to round out the market and marked our first year-over-year victory in a long time.
Headline Title: Sony’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle | $70M / 3,315 Screens / $21,116 PSA | Week 1.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Sony) was the top opener, grossing $70 million, 3,315 screens, and $21,116 in the first week.
The Best Public Service Announcement: The History of Sound (Mubi) | $85.78K / 4 Screens / $21,447 PSA | Week 1.
The weekend’s highlights.
1. . Infinity Castle is Demon Slayer.
Crunchyroll and Sony | NEW.
$70 million for the first three days of operation | $386.29 million worldwide.
The English dubbing of the Japanese monster hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Kimetsu no Yaiba) by Sony and Crunchyroll earned an estimated $70 million on 3,315 screens, or $21,116 per screen on average. The new Demon Slayer movie, which was produced by Toho, smashes both the previous record anime opener Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back ($31M debut) and the previous high-grossing Demon Slayer: Mugen Train ($50.27M lifetime total). It will soon surpass the latter’s $85 million domestic total to become the largest domestic anime title ever.
The new Demon Slayer performed admirably in Asia, but it came in at the top of our projection panel’s list of predictions. In addition, it surpasses both Sony’s biggest opening of 2025 and Dog Man’s $36 million, making it the biggest animated opening of 2025. Demon Slayer debuted just $400k short of becoming Sony’s highest-grossing domestic film of 2025, trailing only 28 Years Later’s $70.4M North American cume. With a “A” CinemaScore and five stars from PostTrak, the reviews and audience responses on Rotten Tomatoes were in agreement at 97 and 98 percent, respectively.
With $13 million made on IMAX screens alone, the movie brought in 19 percent of its total box office revenue ($20 million on IMAX for the worldwide weekend, for a total of $58.5 million in the format). Additionally, the entire Demon Slayer franchise crossed the $1 billion milestone this past weekend.
This is how the 3-Day appeared, with previews showing $11.4M on Thursday.
$33M on Friday.
$21.6M; Saturday.
$15.00 on Sunday.
With an additional $62.1M earned on 14,400+ screens across 58 markets, Overseas Demon Slayer: Infinity Train’s weekend total and global take reached $132.1M and $386.29M, respectively. Although it might still take a few weeks, it will probably surpass Mugen Train’s $506.47M global total. With Hong Kong as the top holdover market ($11.7M), the top three territories in this frame were Mexico ($9.8M), India ($5.2M), and the UK ($4.6M).
3. The Grand Conclusion of Downton Abbey.
NEW Focus Features.
$18–1M for the first three days of operation | $30–38M worldwide.
The third feature film in Focus Features’ period soap opera TV/movie franchise, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, debuted below projections with $18.1M from 3,694 screens for a $4,900 PSA. That suggests a box office ceiling for this 15-year-old brand and is more in line with the opening of the previous movie, A New Era, which made $16 million, than the original film, which made $31 million.
The Grand Finale was a counter-programming option that was totally different from Demon Slayer or Conjuring. It also received an “A” CinemaScore, 92 percent from PostTrak, 91 percent from critics, and a 96 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Seventy-two percent of the audiences were female, 95 percent were over 25, and 57 percent were over 55, the latter group undoubtedly being underrepresented.
The results of the 3-Day, which included $2.6M from Thursday previews, are shown here.
This Friday, $8.85M.
$5.29M on Saturday.
$3.96 million on Sunday.
This is how the demographics appeared.
White people make up 73%.
Latinos make up 13%.
4 percent Black. .
Asians make up 6%.
4% of people are Native American or other.
Similar to domestic locations, the new Downton Abbey opened in 31 markets for $12.28 million from 3,695 locations overseas, bringing the total to $30.38 million worldwide. No surprises there, as the UK ($6.25) was the largest territory and the birthplace of the TV show.
Opening Weekend: The Grand Finale of Downton Abbey.
The top ten international markets.
Ireland and the UK | $6,255.
$1,351 | France.
$1,152 Australia.
Netherlands | $944.
Italy: $532.
Finland | $479.
Sweden: $358.
New Zealand is $266.
Belgium ($28).
Swiss | $123.
Additional Notable Performances.
The Conjuring: Last Rites had a terrible -69 percent decline in its second frame, earning $26.1M from 3,802 screens for a $6,865 PSA, following the third-best domestic opening for a horror film ($84M). Even though it was enough to open much earlier than Downton Abbey and guarantee the number two spot, Demon Slayer obviously took a sizable chunk of the box office. The number from this past weekend continues to be the largest second frame in the franchise’s history. Along with being ahead of the premieres of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ($24.1M) and Annabelle Comes Home ($20.26M), it is comparable to the first weekend of The Curse of La Llorona ($26.3M). With a domestic total of $131.1M, it now surpasses all Conjuring films except the first ($137.4M), while the global total is $332.9M, surpassing all but The Nun ($366M). The new Conjuring has surpassed the global gross of all horror films in 2025, with the exception of Sinners ($366.67M), which it will undoubtedly surpass by next week.
Stephen King’s grim dystopian novel The Long Walk, which Lionsgate adapted for the big screen, debuted at $11-5 million from 2,845 theaters with a $4,042 PSA. Francis Lawrence of the latter IP directed the film, which had little star power—Mark Hamill of Star Wars was arguably the biggest name, and Cooper Hoffman of Licorice Pizza played the lead—despite the fact that the 1979 book was a precursor to youth elimination franchises like Battle Royale or The Hunger Games. A “B” CinemaScore, an 86 percent audience score, and 90 percent reviews on RT are all respectable for a downer in the They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? vein.
For an $872 PSA, the sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues made $1.67 million on 1920 screens, more than 40 years after Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap became a cult classic. This one did not bode well because it was being handled by boutique distributor Bleecker Street rather than a major studio, even though Reiner was back behind the camera with the three original leads for more heavy metal antics. Reiner hasn’t had a successful film since The Bucket List in 2007, but the Tap sequel will also earn less than the cast’s prior high-teens grossing mockumentary comedies, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. RT received a mezzo mezzo rating from critics (67 percent), but it was well received by viewers (90 percent) and received an “A-” CinemaScore. Ancillary revenue from the soundtrack and home video should continue to be very significant for this movie, just like for the first one.
An intriguing side note this week is that Disney, who made $3.05 million with a Toy Story re-release at the age of five, seems to be keeping their summer hit Lilo & Stitch in theaters (17 frames and counting), as the film is just $233,358 away from overtaking A Minecraft Movie as 2025’s top domestic grosser. Disney and Fathom collaborated on a 60th anniversary 4K restoration of The Sound of Music, which earned $1.48 million in 1178 theaters and ranked number ten.
This coming weekend.
With next week’s Him Universal and producer Jordan Peele are delivering that rarest of animals: a sports-themed horror movie. Although there are currently no reviews available, the genre is at an all-time high, and a graphic football film might be exactly what the doctor ordered. With A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, the latest romantic fantasy from After Yang’s director Kogonada, which stars Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, Sony provides counter-programming.
Weekend 37: Sunday Studio Estimates 2025.
Total Domestic 3-Day Gross: $147,907,505 | +36.7 percent compared to 2024.
