“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Infinity Castle” opened at No. 1 in South Korea over Aug. 22–24, drawing about 1.65 million admissions and roughly $12.6–$13.0 million, according to KOBIS, the Korean Film Council’s tracking service. Playing on more than 2,200 screens, the film commanded about 73% of market share, capping a weekend that also saw strong holdover business for local hit “My Daughter Is a Zombie.”
Momentum was visible before first showtimes. Local data indicated 920,000 presales, and by Sunday the title had become the fastest release of 2025 to pass 1 million admissions in Korea, hitting the mark in two days and outpacing the year’s prior benchmark. The performance extends the franchise’s record-setting run in Asia, where it has delivered robust weekday traffic alongside heavy weekend turnout.
The animated feature arrives in Korea after a historic launch in Japan and ahead of a wider international rollout. The property’s recent milestones in its home market have reinforced expectations for sustained demand as the film moves into new territories, while premium formats have amplified grosses across Asia. In Korea, word-of-mouth has been buoyed by high audience scores at major chains, with multiplex bookings expanding through the first frame.
Global interest now shifts to North America, where the film opens Sept. 12, following early subscriber screenings on Sept. 9. U.S. presales have been notably strong, reflecting crossover appeal beyond core anime fans and signaling a wide footprint at major circuits. The staggered schedule positions the movie to build on regional momentum while the franchise’s streaming and merchandising presence continues to feed awareness.
In South Korea, the scale of the launch underlines the country’s appetite for Japanese animation and the series’ entrenched fanbase. The weekend’s market-share figure suggests Infinity Castle lifted overall traffic while concentrating demand, a pattern theaters expect to continue into the second week as weekday admissions settle and premium-format availability tightens. Local charts will now measure its legs against late-summer domestic releases and festival-season imports as the title seeks to convert early interest into repeat viewing.
