‘Demon Slayer’ could win the box office this weekend. Why anime’s popularity is surging

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Amber Pegler developed a strong fascination for the “Demon Slayer” anime series ever since she initially read the manga several years back.

She’s seen every episode of a series centered around a 32-year-old costume designer’s favorite, which follows a young boy on a quest to find a remedy to rescue his sister. Tragically afflicted by a demon that claimed the rest of his family, she finds herself captivated by its dark tale and eagerly anticipates the cinematic release “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” in U.S. theaters this weekend.

The ‘Infinity Castle’ finale left quite an impact on a Long Beach resident, who described it as a profound exploration of the complexities and challenges of navigating through life, which can often bring forth formidable obstacles.

Hollywood Inc.

Hollywood studios are looking for something to take the place of superhero franchises. They believe that video games like “Call of Duty” and others have strong appeal to younger audiences and cinema-goers, so these could be potential replacements.

The Grand Finale,” “The Long Walk” (adapted from a Stephen King novel), and “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.” Preliminary ticket sales are exceptionally strong, with Fandango reporting that it has the highest first-day pre-sales for any anime movie to date.

Worldwide, the anime film “Demon Slayer” has surpassed $272 million at the box office, with an impressive $213 million earned exclusively in Japan.

The buzz surrounding the upcoming “Demon Slayer” film underscores the expanding interest in anime. Initially regarded as a specialized genre, Japanese animation has long held appeal, particularly in the U.S., but the pandemic served to boost viewership and attract fresh spectators to these series and films. In response, streaming services like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu have expanded their offerings of anime content, especially since it resonates with a younger demographic.

Approximately a decade ago, anime was quite popular but was still often seen as a specialized interest,” explained Rahul Purini, head of Crunchyroll, an anime streaming platform. “Today, we no longer view it as a niche. Rather, it’s become mainstream, reaching the same level of prevalence as any other widely-accepted medium.

Worldwide, there’s a surge of enthusiasm for the new “Demon Slayer” movie, serving as a refreshing box office success for cinema operators who have faced tough times during this past summer.

It’s Imax’s highest-grossing local language film released outside of China.

Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax, noted that the surge in popularity of anime has uniquely benefited their company. With anime attracting global audiences, they now have an opportunity to expand their reach into multiple countries rather than being limited to one. Anime seems to be universally appealing.

International interest plays a crucial role, especially for companies intensifying their focus on anime. According to Crunchyroll executives, the primary regions for the brand are the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, with rapidly expanding fan bases in countries such as France, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico. Additionally, they identify potential growth in emerging markets like India, Southeast Asia, and Spain.

Netflix currently offers subtitled anime in 33 different languages and dubbed versions in approximately a dozen, as mentioned by Yuji Yamano, the director of content acquisition at Netflix Japan. He joined the company in 2019 to oversee the procurement of local live-action and anime content. Over the past five years, Netflix’s viewing hours for anime have tripled, according to a statement from its headquarters in Los Gatos.

For quite some time now, anime has been enjoyed by viewers worldwide. However, its fan base has been significantly expanding ever since we started offering it on Netflix. There’s a strong possibility that its popularity will continue to increase in the future.

What sparks this fascination, experts and enthusiasts contend, is the captivating narrative depth and exploration of complex, more realistic topics that reflect the growing intricacies of our lives.

The Netflix show “Solo Leveling,” based on a Korean web novel, delves into economic disparity as it follows characters who gain supernatural abilities to combat monsters. Intra-class struggles are a dominant theme in the latest Crunchyroll series titled “Gachiakuta,” where people living in poverty are compelled to reside outside the city, separated from the rest of society by a massive white barrier.

According to Susan Napier, a professor of Japanese studies at Tufts University, anime doesn’t provide simple solutions. Instead, it helps us navigate and understand the complexities and difficulties in our world, including those tough emotions we often grapple with.

The growth of anime on streaming platforms has also helped boost interest.

In the past, American fans often relied on VHS recordings or self-made DVDs with homemade English subtitles. However, some individuals like Matt Lewis discovered anime initially through television cartoons shown on channels such as Cartoon Network, specifically Warner Bros.’ “Toonami” programming block. Nowadays, Lewis holds the position of promotions director for Anime Los Angeles, a fan convention.

With time, as anime gained widespread popularity, thanks to platforms like Crunchyroll, streaming services, and Netflix making it easily available, it’s only natural that more individuals found themselves drawn into the anime community,” he explained.

In the year 2023, it was estimated that anime contributed around 6% or approximately $5.5 billion to the worldwide streaming industry’s total revenue, based on the latest figures reported by Parrot Analytics, a research company.

Companies like Crunchyroll have leveraged fan passion by broadening their offerings to include online merchandise, a significant aspect of anime fandom, along with digital manga, games, and music. The platform has additionally partnered with baseball teams such as the Dodgers for anime-themed events, and collaborated with organizations like the English Premier League, NBA, and NASCAR.

Gita Rebbapragada, Crunchyroll’s COO, stated that they are committed to assisting in the enhancement and honoring of creator narratives. When fans yearn for a more immersive experience, they can find it on Crunchyroll, offering not only a rich streaming service but also resources that enable a deeper connection with their beloved characters.

As of May, Crunchyroll boasts a subscription base of 17 million users, an increase from 15 million at the end of last year and 13 million in January 2024, according to Sony. In the previous year, Crunchyroll reported a global streaming revenue of approximately $1.4 billion from anime titles, based on statistics from Parrot Analytics. Sony chose not to comment on these revenue estimates provided by Parrot Analytics.

In 2020, Sony purchased Crunchyroll from AT&T for a billion dollars. Before this deal, Sony had owned Funimation, a subscription service specializing in anime with dubbed titles. After the acquisition, both platforms were eventually merged into one, forming what Sony claims to be the largest collection of anime content worldwide. This combined library encompasses approximately 25,000 hours, or 50,000 episodes, of material.

In one location, fans can enjoy both dubbed and subtitled content together, thanks to this unified service. Last month, it was made public that the organization would be undergoing restructuring which involved dismissals. Although Crunchyroll did not specify the exact number of dismissals, in a confidential memo, Purini clarified that the restructuring aimed to manage the company’s expansion and is part of an “updated organizational structure that strengthens regionally autonomous teams.

Douglas Montgomery, a market advisor for Parrot Analytics, pointed out that the anime industry is yet to see a major live-action movie or series become a massive success in Hollywood, propelling it into mainstream popularity. Previous efforts like the 2017 live-action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell,” which drew criticism, and the “Cowboy Bebop” remake with John Cho in the lead role, released in 2021, have unfortunately failed to capture audience interest.

He mentioned a positive example, but until we have a couple more like it, I believe the full potential for anime as a visual medium might not be fully realized.

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2025-09-11 13:32