Demon Slayer Anime Becomes Major Economic Force Amid Global Growth
The anime film Infinity Castle opened in the US and Canada with more than $70 million during its opening weekend. Globally, the film has earned £535 million to date, a striking comparison to the 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell, which grossed about £2 million worldwide.
Anime has shifted from being an underground phenomenon to a key saviour amid a severe autumn box-office slump. Mitchel Berger of Crunchyroll credits this success to eight years of building a worldwide Demon Slayer fandom, with continued growth post-pandemic. Crunchyroll currently has about 17 million subscribers and offers around 50,000 hours of anime on its service.
Looking ahead, Demon Slayer's second and third instalments are planned for release in 2027 and 2029. Netflix remains Crunchyroll’s main competitor in the anime streaming space, with anime viewing on its platform tripling in five years and dubbed content available in 33 languages.
Japan's government is supporting the expansion of anime and cultural exports through a Cool Japan soft-power initiative, aiming to generate ¥50 trillion (approximately £240 billion) annually by 2033, representing roughly 8% of the nation's GDP. In comparison, South Korea's cultural exports, exemplified by BTS, contributed around £3 billion to the economy in 2020.
