No one who knows even a little bit about anime should be surprised that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is the highest-grossing anime movie of all time. The latest anime mega-hit is a sequel to the previous highest-grossing anime movie, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, and hype for Demon Slayer has only grown in the four years since Mugen Train ended its historic run.
What might be more surprising, even to stalwart anime fans, however, is that Infinity Castle might just become the first anime movie to earn $1 billion at the global box office. According to Box Office Mojo, Infinity Castle currently sits at $560 million after its release in the United States (beating out Mugen Train’s $506 million). The reason analysts and fans expect Infinity Castle to do the impossible is simple: China.
China is The Key To Infinity Castle Becoming Anime’s First $1 Billion Movie
A surprised Tanjiro in Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle
While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has earned an impressive haul in both Japan and in the Western world, it still has yet to be released in China. China is a major market for film, with an audience of millions.
The major problem with releasing films in China is that Chinese cinemas are capped on how many foreign films they can show each year. Additionally, strict laws about what can and can’t be shown in movies mean that getting graphic films into Chinese theaters can be an uphill battle.
Previously, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was scheduled to be released in China, but was hit with an indefinite delay due to a controversy surrounding the Monster Hunter film. Given this, Infinity Castle’s Chinese debut was far from a guarantee.
Despite the many challenges slowing Infinity Castle’s path to Chinese cinemas, however, it seems Tanjiro’s latest adventure will indeed be released. X user Anime Empire confirmed that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle will be released in China on October 8th, setting it up to be anime’s first $1 billion movie.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Will Join an Elite Club
Demon Slayer: Mitsuri Kanroji looking happy
Currently, only 58 films in the history of cinema have earned $1 billion at the global box office, with the top spot being held by Avatar at $2.9 billion. What makes Demon Slayer’s potential $1 billion box office even more impressive is the movie’s rating. Though it might be easy to forget, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is rated R.
Only two other R-rated movies have earned more than $1 billion at the global box office. Deadpool & Wolverine sits at the top with a gross of $1.3 billion, while Joker has a still impressive $1 billion.
Making this more impressive is a comparison of budgets. Deadpool & Wolverine’s budget was $200 million. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s budget was $20 million. Even with big-name Hollywood stars like Channing Tatum appearing in Infinity Castle’s English dub, this was a dirt-cheap movie to make by Hollywood standards.
If Chinese audiences show up for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle at the same rate as Avengers: Endgame (which ended its Chinese run with $632 million), then it would take in a whopping $1.19 billion, putting it above Joker as the second-highest-grossing R-rated movie and the 36th highest-grossing movie period.
Why Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Will Do Well In China
Demon Slayer Season 3 Finale screencap of Tanjiro in the Swordsmith Village being cheered on by the residents.
Demon Slayer is intensely popular in China, which is why it’s more than a little surprising that none of its theatrical releases have ever landed in the country. According to a report by Chinese streaming site bilibili, Demon Slayer’s first season was the most popular anime of 2019. Given that it was going against major hits like My Hero Academia and Sword Art Online, that’s a big accomplishment.
Given that China and Japan are currently collaborating to make anime bigger in the former region, it’s safe to say that Demon Slayer’s popularity has only grown in the six years since Demon Slayer’s first season made waves.
Still, it’s unlikely that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle will out-gross the highest-performing animated movie of all time, China’s own Ne Zha 2. That movie currently has a global gross of $2.2 billion and is the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time, so Infinity Castle has a steep hill to climb. While Infinity Castle Part 1 might not match Ne Zha 2, its sequels will almost certainly have a much better shot.
Does Demon Slayer Have a Shot At Becoming The Highest-Grossing Movie… Ever?
Demon-Slayer-Mitsuri-Kanroji-Love-Hashira looking happy and smiling
While Infinity Castle might not have the steam to take on the biggest films in history, its sequels absolutely have a shot at dethroning Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.
As the monstrous success of Endgame proves, conclusions are a good way to bring audiences to theaters. No anime movie has more hype than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Parts 2 and 3, so there are clearly legions of fans curious to see the conclusion to Tanjiro and Nezuko’s stories.
Additionally, anime is a growing medium. Anime is expected to become a $4 billion industry within a decade. Fuelled by the success of series like Demon Slayer and Solo Leveling, the medium is attracting a young yet dedicated fan base. Anime is becoming less of a niche interest by the day, so who’s to say how big the industry will be by the time Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 3 releases?
Of course, this is all just speculation, and Infinity Castle Part 3 may have to settle for being the biggest anime movie of all time as opposed to being the biggest movie of all time. Infinity Castle already beat Marvel and DC at the box office in 2025, though, so anything’s possible.
Somehow, it’s difficult to imagine the franchise’s producers at Aniplex or the anime’s staff at Ufotable will be too heartbroken if Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 3 doesn’t make Avatar money. The fact that it’s a possibility at all, however, is telling about the changing landscape of Hollywood.
Anime is bigger than ever, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s unprecedented success proves that. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 will almost certainly be the first anime film to earn $1 billion at the global box office, but it almost certainly won’t be the last.
Release Date
July 18, 2025
Runtime
155 Minutes
Director
Haruo Sotozaki, Hikaru Kondo
Writers
Koyoharu Gotouge, Hikaru Kondo
Natsuki Hanae
Tanjiro Kamado (voice)
Akari Kito
Nezuko Kamado (voice)