While movie theaters in the United States are in jeopardy, theaters in Japan just saw their biggest box office weekend ever thanks to the Demon Slayer feature anime.
NHK reports that 3.4 million people saw Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train in theaters in Japan. The movie opened on a Friday, playing on 403 screens, Variety adds. Theaters enforced social distancing, spacing out mask-wearing moviegoers.
In those first three days, the movie raked in $44 million, which was more than the $30 million that Frozen 2 made in Japan during its first three days. The movie did better than any other theatrical motion picture on Earth during this opening weekend.
In comparison, Los Angeles Times reported that there are fears movie theaters could be wiped out during the covid-19 pandemic. According to CNBC, Hollywood studios could move more big-budget films to 2021.
Demon Slayer debuted as a manga in 2016, selling one hundred million copies and getting a TV anime last year. The Demon Slayer movie will be released in North America next year. Check out the movie’s trailer below: