'Demon Slayer: Mugen Train' Becomes Japan's Highest-Grossing Film of All Time

'Sen and Chihiro's Disappearance' Surpasses 2001 Record
More People Encounter Manga and TV Series Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Hollywood Blockbusters Vanish from Screens, Boosting Box Office Success

The animated film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train has become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history. According to local entertainment media such as Sports Hochi on the 28th, the movie, which was released on October 16, has earned 32.47 billion yen (approximately 343.7 billion KRW) at theaters as of the previous day. It surpassed the highest box office record of 31.68 billion yen set by Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away in 2001.

This achievement was made amid the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). It took only 73 days to surpass 30 billion yen. Considering that Spirited Away took more than eight months to reach that milestone, this is an exceptionally fast pace. The main factor is undoubtedly the explosive popularity of Koyoharu Gotouge's original work Demon Slayer. Recently, the cumulative circulation exceeded 100 million copies, making it the best-selling manga in Japan. It is analyzed that expectations for the film grew as more people stayed home and engaged with manga and TV series due to the COVID-19 situation. Even Hollywood blockbusters disappeared from screens, which helped accelerate the film's success.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is set in a fictional Taisho era Japan (1912?1926) where demons that eat humans exist. It depicts the fierce battle between the secret organization Demon Slayer Corps and the man-eating demons aboard the Mugen Train running through the darkness. Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, with voice acting by Natsuki Hanae, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and others. It was scheduled to be released domestically on the 10th but was indefinitely postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.