‘Demon Slayer’ fever shows no sign of abating

The anime epic is all set to dethrone Ghibli classic for box office crown

Tokyo: An anime epic in which a teenager hunts down and beheads demons has become the surprise sensation of Japanese cinema during the pandemic, and could soon be the country’s top-grossing film of all time.

Demon Slayer, a full-length flick based on the hit manga series is threatening to dethrone Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, the fantastical 2001 tale that won an Oscar for best animated feature.

The story of Tanjiro, whose life transforms when his family are killed in a demon attack, has taken 30.3 billion yen ($290 million) at cinemas since its October release. At one recent screening in Tokyo, a group of female friends said they had come to see the film because “it’s a hot topic” in Japan.

Drawing long lines around the country, Demon Slayer has dispatched Titanic from the number two spot and looked on track to beat Hayao Miyazaki’s classic by Christmas.

But this week, there was a plot twist: the Ghibli film’s total sales were revised upwards to take into account a re-release over the summer – raising its takings to 31.7 billion yen and staving off Demon Slayer a little longer.

The new film’s stunning success comes despite – and perhaps because of – the pandemic, with people in Japan urged to avoid crowds, putting most other forms of mass entertainment off-limits. Kei, a 25-year-old who saw the film with his sister, said he thought people with more free time was just one reason for its success, with its high production values a bigger draw.

“This movie is a big hit because the animation is very unique and beautiful. It’s very creative, he said.A sophisticated marketing campaign, including tie-ups with shops and restaurants, and well-known actors voicing the characters have also helped boost the film – whose full title is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train. And some say the relative dearth of other recent high-profile releases means it may have faced less competition than in a normal year.