A cartoon tale starring swarms of carnivorous demons might not sound like traditional cinema material, but that’s precisely what the latest Demon Slayer film proved to be.
The film set new benchmarks for anime, racking up over $70 million on its opening weekend in the United States and surpassing £535 million globally. To provide perspective, the anime landmark Ghost in the Shell, which debuted in 1995, earned approximately £2 million worldwide.
From Underground Phenomena to Worldwide Saviour
In the intervening three decades, anime has evolved from an underground phenomena to a true saviour during one of the worst autumn box office downturns in modern history.
“Over the last eight years nurturing this fandom,” says an executive from a leading anime streaming service. “Following the pandemic, that fandom has just persisted to expand.”
One of the keys to its success has been the slow building of a global audience for series like Demon Slayer, which boasts a successful TV series and a previous box office success with 2020’s Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train.
A Worldwide Appeal of Japanese Animation
Anime originated in Japan during the 1950s, but its definitive world breakthrough moment in 1988 with Akira. This futuristic tale pioneered a more grown-up, adult-oriented brand of animation whose impact can be seen across modern culture.
Today, Demon Slayer represents anime breaking into mainstream cinema and cementing Japanese animation as a valuable source of intellectual property in an era where IP is king. Most anime start life as Japanese comics, offering decades of source material for studios eager to develop them into major franchises.
Its new globalised influence means anime appears in unlikely places. Professional fighters, top-tier footballers, and other sports stars have cited anime in their celebrations. Some commentators have labeled the art form as “a lingua franca for young people all over the planet.”
“It’s part of young people’s self-expression,” says an anime expert based in Tokyo. “I think that really is fuelling this rise of anime, not just in the US, but worldwide.”
Economic Benefits and Government Initiatives
The surge in interest is also attributed to “Oshikatsu,” a phenomena of devout support supercharged by trends like K-pop. Fans aren't just watching; they are buying merchandise and sharing their fandom on social media.
The Japanese government is betting big on anime as a central part of its “Cool Japan” strategy. This cultural diplomacy initiative aims to stimulate the national economy by harnessing hardcore fandom to drive tourism. Leaders hope the strategy can generate significant revenue annually by 2033.
This marks a step change for a country traditionally protective of its culture. “The domestic market was large enough for a long time,” notes the Tokyo-based expert. “It was an secondary consideration to spread this culture internationally.”
Digital Competition and Future Projects
In the landscape of anime streaming, major platforms like Netflix are significant players. The streamer reports that the number of subscribers watching anime on its platform has increased threefold in the last five years, with voice-overs produced in dozens of languages to meet global demand.
The roadmap is packed with epic stories. Second and third instalments in the Demon Slayer saga are planned, but fans will have to wait until 2027 and 2029. Before then, a live-action adaptation of One Piece and new seasons of other popular series are set for release.
The narratives are epic, but so are the economic rewards of anime’s apparently unstoppable ascent on the global stage.
