Demon Slayer’ sets U.S. record for best foreign language film opening weekend

Today  06:15 am JST  0 Comment NEW YORK

The Japanese animated film “Demon Slayer” this weekend had the best opening ever recorded in North America for a foreign language film, a new milestone after already setting a box office record in Japan.

Produced by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Japanese giant Sony, “Demon Slayer” took in $19.5 million in the United States and Canada, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The anime unseated “Hero,” a Chinese film by Zhang Yimou, which earned $17.8 million during its first weekend in American theaters, in August 2004.

“Demon Slayer” broke the box office record in Japan at the end of December. The tally on industry website Box Office Mojo currently shows $365 million in tickets sold in the Japanese market alone.

The film follows Tanjiro, a teenager living in Japan during the Taisho era (1912-1926), who becomes a demon hunter after his family is killed by the creatures thirsty for human blood.