Contains spoilers
The highly anticipated Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba –The Movie: Infinity Castle has taken the world by storm with record-breaking ticket sales and hype all over the world. With so much excitement surrounding the movie, it’s not a surprise that it became one of the most successful anime films in history. Fans flocked to theatres, eager to see the stunning visuals, thrilling fight scenes, and emotional storytelling in the 2-hour 30-minute-long movie.
Directly adapted from the manga written by Koyoharu Gotouge, this film marks the beginning of the last Demon Slayer arc. In a final showdown, protagonist Tanjiro Kamado and the Hashira (elite warriors of the Demon Slayer Corps) prepare to confront Demon King Muzan Kibutsugi. Before being defeated, Muzan pulls them into his stronghold known as the Infinity Castle, a never-ending, shifting labyrinth where all his followers lie. Inside, the heroes have to fight some of the deadliest demons, leading to a series of intense battles that will determine the fate of humanity.
With its high-stakes plot and massive fan base, Infinity Castle has quickly become the highest-grossing Japanese film ever, earning over $550 million globally and surpassing the previous record holder, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. This earned it a spot as the 9th highest-grossing movie of 2025.
The film premiered on July 18th in Japan before having its international rollout across many countries throughout August and September. Since then, it has already drawn over 67 million viewers, including 23 million in Japan alone. It also set records in the U.S, dethroning Pokémon: The First Movie as the highest-grossing anime film by bringing in over $100 million.
With a modest budget of $20 million, Infinity Castle managed to outperform big Hollywood productions like the MCU’s Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four. This performance led people expecting Infinity Castle’s earnings to rise further, potentially garnering $1 billion at the box office. The upcoming release in China, with their huge anime market, is expected to contribute to the movie’s box office, especially when season one of Demon Slayer was the most popular anime there in 2019.
Beyond its financial success, the movie received very high praise. It scored 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and the audience Popcorn Meter after 10,000+ reviews. On IMDb, it’s the 6th most popular movie as of 2025, and is rated the highest in the top 30 movies at 8.6/10 stars.
One of Infinity Castle’s most prominent features is the breathtaking animation produced by Ufotable. Their attention to detail is impressive; one frame includes over 1 million structures, showcasing the hard work put into the film. Fans raved about how well everything was brought to life, especially the fight scenes, which well surpassed expectations.
The movie offers a powerful emotional experience as well. Flashbacks of the hero’s motivations and the tragic past of demons lead the audience to connect to the characters on a deeper level, adding weight to every sacrifice and heightening the emotional impact.
“I really liked the movie,” said sophomore Frank Lin. “The animation was amazing and the fight scenes were cool, especially the final one with Tanjiro and Giyu against upper demon Akaza.”
However, critics have pointed out some issues with the film, one of them being the pacing. Although flashbacks added depth to the story, they weren’t implemented at the best times, often added in the middle of fight scenes. It makes sense in manga format, as it goes chapter-by-chapter and is easier to introduce backstories on a fresh page. But during a full movie, it doesn’t flow as well and might ruin the momentum of an engaged audience watching an intense battle. The ending also doesn’t seem complete to some, but this could be explained since Infinity Castle is the first installment of a planned trilogy.
Luckily for fans, the sequels are already in the making. Parts two and three are scheduled to release in 2027 and 2029, respectively. With the overwhelming success of Infinity Castle, from the box office to audience enjoyment, the upcoming films have strong potential to match or even surpass the first. Through its global popularity with a growing fanbase, Demon Slayer has established itself as one of the most influential and celebrated anime of its generation.
