Photo/Illutration A scene from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba--The Movie: Infinity Castle--Part 1: Akaza Returns” ((c) Koyoharu Gotoge/ Shueisha Inc., Aniplex Inc., ufotable Inc.)

The latest animated film adaption in the “Demon Slayer” series took in more than 10 billion yen ($66.89 million) in the first eight days after its release, setting a box office record in Japan.

The earnings eclipsed the record set by the previous “Demon Slayer” movie in 2020.

“Part 1: Akaza Returns” in the “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba--The Movie: Infinity Castle” trilogy, was released on July 18. Box office sales topped 10 billion yen on July 25, according to the distributor, Aniplex Inc.

It marks the fastest time for a film screened in Japan to hit the threshold after its release. The previous record was held by “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba--The Movie: Mugen Train,” which was released in 2020 and made the same amount in 10 days.

Movie market research company Kogyo Tsushinsha said the latest offering in the “Demon Slayer” franchise is the 49th film to surpass 10 billion yen in box office revenue in Japan.

Twenty-eight of them were foreign releases.

But Japanese animated films based on popular manga have been gaining momentum since “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba--The Movie: Mugen Train” set the all-time record of 40.43 billion yen in total sales in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” films are based on Koyoharu Gotoge’s manga series of the same title, which have sold more than 220 million copies, including digital editions: 164 million in Japan and 56 million overseas.

Notable examples that surpassed the 10-billion-yen mark include “Jujutsu Kaisen 0,” which was released in 2021 and earned 13.8 billion yen; “One Piece Film Red” (2022, 20.34 billion yen); “The First Slam Dunk” (2022, 16.48 billion yen); “Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine” (2023, 13.88 billion yen); and “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle” (2024, 11.64 billion yen).

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