‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ crosses $100m at North American box office

UPDATE: Sony/Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle crossed $100m in its second weekend, holding on to number one in North America ahead of new arrivals Him from Universal, and a disappointing debut by Sony stablemate’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which was the buzziest acquisition out of the 2024 EFM.

Anime smash Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle earned an estimated $17.3m from 3,342 locations to reach $104.7m. While the 76% drop from the record-breaking opening weekend’s $70.6m haul is heavy and reflects the film’s front-loaded appeal among fans, it has done exceptionally well and earned more than $555m worldwide.

Him, the psychological horror from Universal about a young athlete’s terrifying experience under a mentor at an American Football training camp, arrived to fairly grim reviews in second place on $13.5m from 3,168 sites. Jordan Peele produced through his Monkeypaw Productions and Justin Tipping directed the film starring Marlon Wayans and former college athlete Tyriq Withers.

The hefty star wattage of Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell was not enough to elevate Kogonda’s R-rated fantasy romance A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. It opened in sixth place on an estimated $3.5m from 3,300, earning middling reviews. The story of strangers who spark at a wedding and get to relive key moments from their lives was the talking point at 2024 EFM, where Sony snapped up worldwide rights in a deal reportedly worth $50m.

The hope among studio executives is the film will have a reasonably robust life on ancillary platforms, where the enduring appeal of the two leads may strike a chord with viewers.

Overall box office for the North American weekend amounted to $76m, with year-to-date at $6.4bn to lead 2024 by the same stage by 4.4%.

Warner Bros’ The Conjuring: Last Rites ranked third on $12.2m for $150.5m after three weekends to confirm its status as the highest-grossing entry from the 12-year horror franchise in the US. Lionsgate’s The Long Walk in fourth place added $6.3m for a mediocre $22.7m after two weekends.

In fifth was Focus Features’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which earned a confirmed $6.4m in its second session to reach $31.7m. The Crawley family’s biggest theatrical outing was their first, in 2019, on $96.9m and close to $200m worldwide.

This upcoming weekend brings the release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another featuring a starry ensemble led by Leonardo DiCaprio. The key question is can a film reportedly carrying a budget of around $130m and clocking in at two hours and 42 minutes win the hearts and minds of paying audiences, like it has won over critics and awards pundits.

The studio will be aiming for its seventh consecutive number one release in what has become a banner year. Its last six films have opened on more than $40m.

On the subject of upcoming releases, last week it emerged that AMC has booked a one-weekend engagement for Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl over October 3-5. Early projections put the theatrical ploy on at least $30m. Variance is handling the release in North America. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour grossed a sensational $180m in North America from October 2023 to January 2024.

Oscilloscope Laboratories opened Austria’s Oscar submission Peacock from Bernhard Wenger on $5,220 at New York’s Metrograph cinema this weekend. The satire premiered in Venice in 2024 and will expand nationwide in September and October.

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