This is a heck of a headline from CartoonBrew.com - Animation News ! The lastest season of the global #anime megahit, #DemonSlayer is coming to streaming soon. To celebrate a specially packaged season 4 episode 1 theatrical presentation of the “Kimetsu no Yaiba — To the Hashira Training Arc” has hit #cinema screens in over forty territories. In the USA and Canada it has earned over $11M USD this weekend, which does seem to suggest that teenage audiences are massively underserved or understood by the major domestic film producers. According to #boxofficemojo the worldwide GBO is approaching $56M. I find the economics of Demon Slayer fascinating. This is the second time Aniplex and its global distribution partners Sony Pictures Entertainment and Crunchyroll have rolled into cinemas with a Episode 1 preview roadshow. Each roadshow consists of the final episode of the previous season cut together with a preview of the brand-new, first season from the yet to be launched subsequent season. The cumulative N.Am GBO to date on these two Demon Slayer roadshow theatricals is over $21M. For the record, the average production cost per episode is somewhere between $500-$750K max. The standard industry wide per episode budget for a tv half hour of anime is around $250-300K. Once #EMEA and #Asia box office is included the producers of Demon Slayer have already recouped their production and marketing costs and then some, before the new season has even aired. It’s staggering. #anime #licensing #cinema #japan #theatrical #distribution #audiencedevelopment #boxoffice #moviemaking #insight #economics
U.S. moviegoers would rather watch ‘Demon Slayer’ TV episodes than American films. 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - To the Hashira Training' launched in second place as anime is becoming a constant presence on the U.S. box office charts.
Saw it in 4DX! Was a little too long with the intensity, but absolutely loved seeing such impactful moments on the big screen. The big screen also truly highlights the level that the animators of Demon Slayer achieve time and time again.
Not quite sure I’d agree with their statement in the first sentence there, but there’s no doubt anime continues to grow in influence.
Founder (TOKYOPOP), Producer, Investor
9moWell, Demon Slayer TV is pricey compared to other anime, that’s certain. But they can’t just be repurposing TV content for theatrical, can they?