The animation film "Gekijoban 'Kimetsu no Yaiba' Mugenressha-hen" (Demon Slayer -- Kimetsu no Yaiba -- The Movie: Mugen Train) drew about 3.42 million viewers in the first three days after its Friday theater release, raising about 4.62 billion yen in box office revenue, according to sources including the film's distributor Aniplex Inc.
The Haruo Sotozaki-directed film has started exceptionally well amid the continued plight the movie industry is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film is based on the manga and TV anime "Kimetsu no Yaiba" (Demon Slayer) and is playing at 403 cinemas nationwide.
It drew about 910,000 movie-goers on Friday alone and earned 1.27 billion yen at the box office, both records for a film released domestically on a weekday.
The record-breaking run continued over the weekend. The audience figures of about 1.27 million and the box office revenue of about 1.7 billion yen on Saturday followed by some 1.24 million movie-goers and 1.65 billion yen earned on Sunday were all records for weekend dates.
One of the talking points about this film is the frequency of showings at many theaters. One cinema complex uses multiple screens to show the film more than 40 times a day.
"Kimetsu no Yaiba" tells the story of a boy who battles demons to change his sister, who has become a demon, back to her original self.
The original manga by Koyoharu Gotoge has sold more than 100 million copies.
The animation film "Tenki no Ko" (Weathering With You), directed by Makoto Shinkai, last year recorded the largest box office revenue of the year at about 14 billion yen, according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc.
The film drew about 1.16 million movie-goers and earned about 1.64 billion yen over its first three days.
Concerned about the coronavirus? Look for information and contact numbers here if you suspect you have contracted the virus and are exhibiting symptoms.
PLEASE NOTEThe Japan News is providing this story for free to help all readers keep informed about the coronavirus.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
