Fans ofDemon Slayerwere surprised to discover that the manga’s final arc, known as the Infinity Castle arc, would not only be adapted to a movie, but would actually be split across a trilogy of films. While many were excited, and for good reason, other fans still had their reservations about the idea, and their concerns are just as valid.
Demon Slayerhas already proven to have the formula for box office success with its first film,Mugen Train, which went on tobecome the highest-grossing film of 2020and the most profitable anime movie of all time, taking the title from Miyazaki’sSpirited Away. The success of the film is arguably the reason that it was even possible for the series to continue on to later seasons, as the production of the first season was so expensive that studio Ufotable was initially unsure of producing more. Fortunately,Demon Slayer’s first season was well-regarded, giving them the confidence to attemptMugen Train, and the rest is history.
Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle Trilogy Could Be the Biggest Anime Films Ever
The Trilogy Has What It Takes to Strike It Big
Demon Slayerhas definitely become a juggernaut of popularity within the anime world, even though the manga has been over for years now. Propelled by the success of the film, the anime has gone on to produce three more seasons, which are mostly well-regarded in their own right. The series has largely maintained its momentum from the film, with each season premiere being screened in a special film format in Japan (and sometimes abroad), and even these have performed moderately well at the box office.
There are also some clear advantages to approaching the final arc as a series of films–the film format can allow for greater budgets than individual episodes would, making fight scenes all the more dramatic and well animated. Given the setting of these battles will be the mind-bending Infinity Castle, which fans have previously seen only glimpses of, it may be highly beneficial to be able to invest as much in the visuals as possible, resulting in a better quality version of the final arc than would’ve been possible if it were made for TV.
As the grand finale for such a popular series, it feels as if the success oftheInfinity Castletrilogyis already assured to many fans. The anticipation for the films will only continue to build, after all, and if the first one is as good as fans hope, that trend will surely continue for the other two parts.If it even comes close to performing as well asMugen Traindid, these films will be plenty profitable in addition to being quite a cinematic spectacle.
Can Mugen Train’s Success Truly Be Replicated?
Mugen Train Debuted Under Special Circumstances
Mugen Trainmay well have been the most successful film of 2020, but it’s important to remember what 2020 was actually like. COVID was at a lull in Japan when the film released, but production on other films had been brought to a complete standstill, meaning thatMugen Traindidn’t have much in the way of international competition coming from Hollywood. Its American premiere date in April 2021 was still when the country was just beginning to reopen, and the lack of competition was still very much in effect in the US as well.
10 Reasons Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Is Still The Highest-Grossing Anime Film of All Time
Despite the success of anime movies that followed, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is still the highest-grossing anime film of all time.
WhileMugen Trainwouldn’t have been such a success without already being a high-quality film, it was certainly boosted by being one of the few films to choose from at the time of its release. Many people in 2020 and 2021 may have decided to giveMugen Traina try on a whim and been pleasantly surprised. Those kinds of viewers aren’t guaranteed to come back for a sequel film, however, especially when so much has happened in the anime that those viewers may need to catch up on to fully understand what’s going on inInfinity Castle.
Mugen Train’s success was due to a confluence of factors, of which quality was only one. Many of those factors won’t be relevant when it comes time forInfinity Train’s first film to release, so counting on these films to have the same level of success asMugen Trainmay turn out to be a mistake.
Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle Trilogy May Be Stretched Too Thin
Demon Slayer’s Source Material May Not Support a Full Trilogy
There’s another factor to consider here as well, and that’s the source material.Mugen Trainwas chosen as a film because it was a tightly-paced, stand-alone story arc which was highly dramatic, making it well suited to a film. Its corresponding manga arc was just 12 chapters long.The Infinity Castle arc in the manga is 65 chapters long, much of which ismade up of intricate fight scenesas well as some extended flashbacks. That means each film will need to cover 22-ish chapters, although there aren’t really convenient stopping points for each film likeMugen Trainhad.
22 chapters may sound like a lot, but when the action is translated to the screen, it will pass by quite fast compared to its manga page count.TheInfinity Castletrilogy may actually find itself running a little thin when all is said and done, and trying to pad out the films might risk bringing about fan ire. The lack of stopping points may also mean that each film ends with something of a cliffhanger, which will likely leave fans hanging for a year or more before the next film in the trilogy is released, which is a bit of a risk itself. If the cliffhanger isn’t sufficiently compelling, viewers may grow tired of waiting and give up.
Spreading the ending over three films is clearly intended to keepDemon Slayerrelevant and in the public consciousness longer than just another final season of the anime would, which helps to boost merchandise sales. In some ways, it feels like artificially extending the life of the franchise, akin to YA films of the 2010s splitting books into two films, and in that way, it comes across as a rather cynical move to some fans.
For the sake of the fans, it can only be hoped that theDemon Slayerfilms will be just as wildly successful asMugen Train, as otherwise the franchise may well burn out before the final film is actually released.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Cast
Set in Japan’s Taisho Period, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro, a young boy whose family is killed by demons. With his sister Nezuko transformed into a demon, Tanjiro embarks on a quest to become a demon slayer, seeking vengeance and a cure for his sister’s condition.
