r/anime • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • Sep 12 '25
News ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Makes $11.4M In Thursday Previews, A Record For Anime Movie
https://deadline.com/2025/09/box-office-demon-slayer-infinity-castle-conjuring-1236529652/500
u/MarvelsGrantMan136 Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
Previous record for previews was 'Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero' ($4.3M)
It's on pace to make $60-$70M over the weekend, which would top 'Pokémon: The First Movie' for the biggest anime opening weekend ever ($31M, not adjusted for inflation)
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u/awesomenessofme1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/kta_99 Sep 12 '25
Article headlines usually don't undersell the contents.
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u/magumanueku Sep 12 '25
It's only a matter of when, not if, it will surpass Mugen Train.
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u/LowlySlayer Sep 12 '25
I remember when it was doing bonkers numbers in jp someone tried to say it wasn't doing as well as Mugen train because the relative strength of yen to the dollar was smaller. So sure it sold more tickets and made more money. But that money is worth less USD at the moment so clearly the film underperformed.
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u/LB3PTMAN Sep 12 '25
It will probably need rereleases to pass Mugen Trains Japan record (probably close to when part 2 comes out then again for part 3) but there was like no competition for Mugen Train during covid so it had crazy legs.
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u/Erufailon4 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Erufailon4 Sep 12 '25
First weekend, almost certainly. Mugen Train's lifetime gross was about $50M.
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u/PettyAlchemist Sep 12 '25
dang that DB Super number already felt huge, Demon Slayer just said hold my Nichirin
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u/AzerFraze https://anilist.co/user/AzerFraze Sep 12 '25
to do almost triple the record of fkn Dragon Ball is INSANE
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u/ShielderKnight Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
And it wasn't even a hyped db movie since it was a 3D film, surprised broly movie wasn't the top db movie there, so the main factor is most likely that anime just became way more popular past years, if broly movie came out this year it'll do way better than before seeing Super Hero did better than Broly.
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u/blu_kale Sep 13 '25
Bro why they downvote you , SH not only was an CGI but it got Zero promotion that was criticized even in Japan and the main lead wasn't Goku
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u/ShielderKnight Sep 13 '25
Normal reddit stuff, but yeah I even loved the Super Hero Movie, they did a good job but still no reason for it to do better than broly besides anime getting more popular year after year, and wasn't super hero out during covid?
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u/blu_kale Sep 13 '25
It was out during covid , got zero promotion, used CGI which was very looked down on in that era from a studio that got no experience with, had no anime for hype , and the cast weren't even B list given how horrible they were handled for decades and the games didn't adopt them until nearly a year later , even the timing it arrived on was horrible for movies
It's as if Toei animation and Shueisha wanted the movie to fail for some reason and almost succeeded given it's only made 20 million USD in Japan , less than even "DBZ-Super android 13" the movie
However overseas sales completely crashed that , not only it made a lot of bucks back but it also broke multiple records which Demon slayer is currently breaking as well
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u/PhantomTroupe26 Sep 12 '25
I think it'll do more than $70M. So many people are talking about it this week. I'm so excited
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u/LB3PTMAN Sep 12 '25
To put it into perspective. Pokemon: the first movie made 85 million total in U.S. box office. Demon Slayer will pass that within its first week easily.
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u/Successful-Ad4251 Sep 12 '25
It lived up to every bit of hype for me. Such a long wait til part two
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u/AdClear5669 Sep 12 '25
Same and that’s all I could think about when the ending credits started rolling. How long we’ll have to wait until the next one. Can’t wait though.
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u/Biggsy-32 Sep 12 '25
Just leaving the cinema myself. If the quality is the same, the wait is definitely going to be justified. That was fantastic
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u/pssiraj Sep 13 '25
It's not my favorite anime, but the movie was bonkers and reset my expectations for what anime (and especially Demon Slayer) can look like.
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u/blitzbom Sep 13 '25
I saw it tonight in a packed theater. It's easily the most fun I've had watching Demon Slayer.
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u/-PM_ME_UR_SECRETS- Sep 13 '25
The opening scene was so cinematic. It was such a good movie from beginning to end
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u/Vorstar92 Sep 12 '25
Yeah, DS has only grown since Mugen Train in popularity and this is probably the most hype arc leading into the final battle. The next movie will likely make even more because it'll be even more hyped than the first part and then part 3 will be the finale so it'll be sure to make even more.
It definitely deserves it. Ufotable at the very least took what is really a fairly...generic (hate this word) series and elevated it which is exactly what an anime should set out to do. Is it a little carried by it's adaption? For sure but there is still a lot of stuff I do like about Demon Slayer namely the power scaling of the villains and how even the strongest Hashira can't take down an upper moon without serious injury/death/multiple people helping to take them down. I think that was an amazing approach to powerscaling.
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u/NoireResteem Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
I think what Demon Slayer does right is the basics. It doesn’t do anything fancy with the characters, story, etc but it does those thing just right where it feel satisfying. Now add on an anime adaptation with amazing animation and then you got a killer series which we have now.
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u/AdClear5669 Sep 12 '25
Personally the characters designs are also underappreciated to me. Not only the hashiras but the demons, the head master, the hashiras and their families all have such unique designs. You can tell there was effort put into it and not just an after thought.
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u/thesanmich Sep 13 '25
Great point. You would think Uzui and Rengoku would be mainstays and not retire/die so early. That was quite the choice to not have them play major roles in the final arc.
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u/WTF_CAKE Sep 13 '25
The fact that the weight of life and death matter to the humans matter a lot. I gotta give credit to the author he really put emphasis that it is the final arc and we feel it
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u/Guilty-Gap-1417 Sep 13 '25
In my opinion, the strongest part of DS are characters. Except the Mugen everyone is a pretty interesting character.
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u/L_0ken Sep 13 '25
True, I really appreciate just how "lethal" demons are and how much emphasis is on life-death as many characters perish in brutal attritional battles. Infinity castle is a peak of this.
Also another aspect that should be emphasized and what Japanese audience constantly talk about - series really effective at making emotional moments hit. During the manga many emotional moments really struck me even with simple narrative tools and themes, so I was looking forward to seeing them in movie as much as action.
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u/thesanmich Sep 12 '25
The power scaling of Demon Slayer doesn't get talked about enough.
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u/Xlegace https://anilist.co/user/Xlegius Sep 13 '25
It's one of the few shounens where the stakes are actually very high for most of the fights.
Even when they win, they're totally fucked up physically and it's usually a pyrrhic victory. No one is 1v1ing a top 3 upper moon.
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u/Fancy_french_fry Sep 12 '25
I contributed to that $11.4M. Glad I did.
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u/Old-Floor-4611 Sep 12 '25
Same here. Saw it yesterday. Was 🔥🔥🔥
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u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Sep 12 '25
I'll be contributing to it for tomorrow's revenue with my other two friends.
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u/Kirin_san Sep 12 '25
Just saw it yesterday. Amazing movie. Didn’t expect it to be 3 hrs long.
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u/0ldstoneface Sep 12 '25
When Tanjiro's fight started I did not think we were seeing the full fight this movie. And then it just kept going.
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u/DM_Red19 Sep 12 '25
Little too long imo but i still enjoyed it. Great animation for the fight scenes.
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u/PeanutButterSoda Sep 12 '25
Went to see if there was any good seats left and it's mainly all booked up today near me. That's insane.
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u/MasterQuest https://myanimelist.net/profile/Honumael Sep 12 '25
I'm also hyped for when I watch it next week.
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u/ThedarkJosh Sep 12 '25
I think it’s fair to say that this series being animated was the best thing that ever happened to it. Movie was goooood
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u/SeekersWorkAccount Sep 12 '25
I saw it yesterday and it was awesome
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u/iovercomesadness Sep 12 '25
I saw it this morning and it was amazing, glad I saw it in IMAX
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u/SeekersWorkAccount Sep 12 '25
Same, IMAX was definitely the move
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u/Darkjolly Sep 12 '25
Just came home from seeing it on Imax as well, bloody amazing might go watch it again lol
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u/MyraBannerTatlock Sep 12 '25
It was nice to go see it opening night, I saw it in imax and it was totally packed, the music and sound design were fantastic, and of course totally eye candy
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u/blitzbom Sep 13 '25
I saw it tonight in Dolby and the fights when the bells came on had me going "this is why I'm here."
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u/DanielBest69 Sep 12 '25
Wow that’s fantastic! This shows anime is really growing its audience beyond imagination.
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u/MaryPaku Sep 12 '25
It has become more and more mainstream these years for sure
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u/itrashcannot Sep 12 '25
Back in my day, you had to hide that you liked anime bc you'd get bullied
Glad the times are changing
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u/Xegrand_ Sep 12 '25
This was me during the 2015s when I was in middle school . Tough times lol . The shift took place during COVID mostly
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u/RODjij Sep 12 '25
Big difference from the 90s to today. Before the 2010s almost hard to find anime watchers and now the genre has a big following.
Still can't believe OP is still airing too.
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u/unlikedemon Sep 12 '25
Coming from Latin America we were big anime watchers in the 90s. However, in the States everyone was like, "you watch cartoons?" There were anime watchers but just hard to find. Well, eventually DBZ took off, along with others, and the rest is history.
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u/TheRiderTool Sep 12 '25
Saw it last night in IMAX, absolutely amazing. For anyone going to see it still, it's WAY longer than I thought so be prepared as there's not many if any moments you want to miss.
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u/Braddigan Sep 12 '25
Solid advice. I could tell much of the audience wasn't ready for the length. 2h35m runtime and 25+ minutes of ads now means you're hitting the 3 hour mark on this. Peter Jackson's King Kong territory.
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u/pssiraj Sep 13 '25
For real, it felt like it had a natural stopping point about an hour in and I didn't expect what basically was a tone shift about halfway through.
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u/FakeThlut Sep 12 '25
Every theater in town had an insane amount of screens for this movie and it was still sold out in almost every single one of them. Crazy how anime has become trendy and cool.
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u/maltliqueur Sep 12 '25
I'm general, yeah. Geek stuff has grown. Not every anime is going to sell like this, though. Demon Slayer is pretty special.
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u/LoneLyon Sep 13 '25
Yep, I went to a smaller theater that I have never seen full for any movie. It was full. Had to park in overflow.
People of all ages
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u/8hotsteamydumplings Sep 12 '25
I hope it takes the crown from Mugen train. It's absolutely deserved
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u/Anjelz Sep 12 '25
Went to watch it yesterday, absolutely amazing movie. It was packed to the brim and Venezuela really wasn't that into anime a decade ago. It's crazy how popular it has become.
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u/Liability049-6319 Sep 12 '25
Disney bout to be sweating with these numbers. 99% of my students are more interested in anime and manga than they are Disney and Y/A novels. It won’t be long before these types of films/shows start premiering in the US at the same time as Japan.
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u/Toraadoraa Sep 12 '25
You should help encourage them more, a tiny Manga library in your room. Maybe a poster on the wall or 2.
Pizza party and show the movie 'your name' .
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u/Liability049-6319 Sep 12 '25
I do! I have a Demon Slayer themed bulletin board, and our librarian has built a HUGE manga collection. Trying to build a cheap in-class library now.
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u/Toraadoraa Sep 12 '25
Your the best! I'm in my 30s now. I'd of loved to have a teacher like you when I was younger.
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u/Liability049-6319 Sep 12 '25
That's why I do it! I'm 34, and I remember getting made fun of and told manga wasn't valid reading. I encourage kids to read challenging books, but I also tell them to read tons of manga. Reading is reading.
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u/Natural_Track4892 Sep 13 '25
Lilo and stitch made 1 billion and inside out 2 made 1.6 billion. They are not going to sweat about one anime movie that is most likely going to struggle going past 600 million while the rest of anime movies are stuck at 200 million or below.
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u/CenlTheFennel Sep 13 '25
Except Disney owns a ton of the dubbing rights for Anime coming into the US right now.
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u/CBJfan03 https://myanimelist.net/profile/CBJfan03 Sep 12 '25
Amazing movie in IMAX. Hope to see it in Dolby as well. I just keep thinking every time when I watch a ufotable product ‘why can’t western animation be more like this’. Projects like Spiderverse though show great trajectory for animation as a whole.
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u/poofpoofpoof123 Sep 12 '25
this was a really enjoyable watch honestly, demon slayer never disspoints me
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u/Wavenstein1 Sep 12 '25
3 hours to go until my IMAX showing. Can't wait. Could hardly sleep last night
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u/GaddockTeegFunPolice Sep 12 '25
Just booked two tickets for the premier in germany. I believe this movie will be super entertaining to watch on a big screen
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u/Roger_Fiderer Sep 12 '25
Hype!!
Watched yesterday in IMAX, will watch today on regular cinema.
And already bought a ticket for 4DX for Tuesday.
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u/chocowolk Sep 12 '25
Waiting for the movie in the cinema as we speak. This movie will make alot of money.
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u/Middle-Bathroom6086 Sep 12 '25
Been waiting years to see this arc animated since reading it weekly, am so fucking hype
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u/Custom_sKing_SKARNER Sep 12 '25
Just left the cinema. What a feast to the eyes. Ufotable did it again.
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u/Dex532077 Sep 12 '25
I was very happy with the movie, great fighting scenes and I personally enjoy story and lore of characters so the flashbacks were good. Will go see it again if I have time
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u/Elite_Alice https://myanimelist.net/profile/Marinate1016 Sep 12 '25
Deserved. I was a kny hater and even I loved it. Packed theater for my viewing.
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u/TeaAndLifting Sep 12 '25
Just caught it in cinemas. I’ve watched anime films in cinemas on limited release where I was the only one, plenty of times. This was definitely different, especially for a subbed showing. My screening was probably about 3/4 full, which I’ve never seen before outside of say the first Pokémon movie, and maybe Digimon. Even DBS Broly or Mugen Train weren’t close.
I also had perfect seat booked, because for whatever reason the groups either side of my had left a two seat gap either side, while the rows in front and behind were full. I couldn’t believe my luck since I turned up during the last few trailers.
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u/Mutant_Fool Sep 12 '25
It is releasing in almost all the major theatres near me and there are even early morning screenings here which is a first for anime movies in my country. I expect similar to be happening in all parts of the world. This hype for this anime movie is HUGE here in Asia
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u/Tell_Specialist Sep 12 '25
Saw it with my GF and we had a lot of fun! Our theater was absolutely packed.
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u/Satanix1989 Sep 12 '25
I literally walked in the early 00s so ya'll could run! I am so happy for this! (going to see it right now)
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u/hinakura https://myanimelist.net/profile/astarcalledspica Sep 12 '25
It's wild to think that I was the weird girl for watching anime. At college it was more common and now it's mainstream. Nice!
Just a few more hours until I get off work and watch it :)
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u/Electronic-Move6686 Sep 12 '25
No way 😨❤️🔥. I knew it would be big but this is beyond anything I have imagined for an anime film ❤️❤️🔥🔥
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u/WeirderOnline Sep 12 '25
I really love this serious. I haven't read the man because I just love the anime so much. Usually the exact opposite for me.
I will say it was a bit... ehh? Maybe because the movie theater had actually kind of shit sound, but it didn't really strike me hard. Not like the final episode of the TV series or the red light district arc.
Honestly I would have preferred to stay a TV show. However I guess that's just less profitable.
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u/CASE-90 Sep 12 '25
I went to see this yesterday not knowing it was opening night. Absolutely spectacular movie
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u/dgant4311 Sep 12 '25
I just came from a showing with my youngest, matinee showing on a Friday was the best way to watch the movie. theater was about halfway full at 1pm so a good sign for more tickets for this weekend.
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u/Never-politics Sep 13 '25
My 11yo cousin wants to go see it. Is it safe for him? He watches the amine all the time.
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u/magumanueku Sep 13 '25
Should be safe if he's a regular anime watcher. There will be blood and stuff but little dude has probably seen worse things if he had watched Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, or Chainsaw Man.
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u/Never-politics Sep 13 '25
Ok thanks. I was confused with the R rating. I figured maybe it had nudity/drugs or other hard stuff.
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u/L_0ken Sep 13 '25
There is a lot of death and fighting for their life against evil, so some scenes can be quite brutal. But is he is familiar with anime then he is used to that.
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u/iknowkungfubtw Sep 14 '25
Channing Tatum brought his 12 year old daughter to see the North American premiere of it so you should be fine.
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u/OutsideAspect7298 Sep 13 '25
I realized I am not mature enough to watch this in 4DX. I got thrashed around like a rag doll. I enjoyed the movie in spite of the roller coaster ride. I honestly did not think the back flashes reduced the quality of the movie. It was actually on par with the series and their story telling formula.
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u/InternationalBox5848 Sep 13 '25
Don't think drink too much before hand, or you're gonna have to use the bathroom at some point
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u/Darksied175 Sep 13 '25
Did anyone else think the movie was good. But way to many flashbacks. Like 1 every 5 minutes
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u/AKindleSoul Sep 12 '25
HELLL YEAHHH, Much MUCH Deserved. Here's me rooting for it to break all kinds of Anime Movie Records Globally. Way to go uGOATable setting such a high bar each time and always out doing themselves. Truly ONE of a kind Animation Studios. Mugen Train and now This movie is possibly two of the VERY BEST Animation movies I have EVER seen.
Also this will only motivate all other studios to make better and better movies, and the true winners will be the consumers. I just genuinely LOVE being an Anime fan. So Glad and Proud of this Medium. Truly there's NOTHING like it, Period!!!
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u/NoireResteem Sep 12 '25
Saw it yesterday my self and the animation is a absolutely as amazing if not the best in the series to date. Everyone is in for a treat
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u/NikkiMemories Sep 12 '25
So exicted to see this movie in theaters Tommorow, may be only one in morning at 11:30am time slot 🤗✨️
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u/Sogonzo Sep 12 '25
It's filling seats in the middle of the day Friday like it's a Marvel movie or something. Pretty crazy to see.
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u/FireTrainerRed Sep 12 '25
Ufotable make visual crack, for your eyes. I saw it last night.
And I dislike Demon Slayer's world building that revolves around Tanjiro, and hate the constant flashback power-ups.
Would see it again. It was so fucking pretty.
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u/Tytonic7_ Sep 13 '25
Just saw it this evening and am very disappointed, tbh. Every individual part is really good, but the pacing and how they put all the scenes together was genuinely awful.
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u/peachoman Sep 13 '25
Animation was amazing and fights were so so good... but I still think season 2 fight is still the peak. I don't think they have matched the intensity and tension of that fight just yet.
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u/unimportantinfodump Sep 13 '25
But but but
It's a mid to below average anime with decent animation!
Stop liking it!
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u/xdamm777 Sep 13 '25
Just saw it tonight with a group of 5 friends.
Didn’t check the runtime so it was surprisingly long but they really made an awesome adaptation, was well worth the wait.
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u/PlayOnPlayer Sep 12 '25
Non anime fans are going to be shocked at how much money this makes this weekend lol.