Japan¡¯s film industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, but it bounced back sooner and stronger than even Hollywood could.
The most visible sign of that strength is the stupendous box-office numbers racked up by ¡°Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie ¡ª Mugen Train,¡± an animated film based on a hit manga and TV series. Released on Oct. 16, it zoomed past the ?10 billion mark in just 10 days, a record in Japan. Following this rocketing start, the film soared ever higher into the box-office stratosphere. By Nov. 29, after 6 weeks on release, it had surpassed ¡°Titanic¡± (which earned ?26.2 billion in 1997) to take second place on the all-time earnings list with ?27.5 billion. It¡¯s next target: the ?31.68 billion made by Miyazaki Hayao¡¯s animation ¡°Spirited Away¡± on its initial release in 2001 and after revival screenings this year, which added ?880 million to its box office total.
¡°Demon Slayer¡± benefitted from the fortuitous timing of its release ¡ª after most theaters had resumed normal (that is, non-socially distanced) seating in September, but before its Hollywood rivals had returned to the screens. It was also boosted by the popularity of its source material, a manga series by Koyoharu Gotoge that has sold more than 100 million copies.
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