Anime 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' storms Korean box office

The timing couldn't be more awkward — a Japanese anime film is dominating Korean theaters just as the country celebrates its independence from Japanese colonial rule.

The latest installment from the hit manga-and-anime franchise "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" has already racked up 411,835 presale tickets, claiming 53.2 percent of all tickets sold as of Friday. At this rate, the film appears on track to sell nearly one million tickets before its Aug. 22 release.

With exclusive premium screenings scheduled this weekend, some corners of social media are calling out what they see as tone-deaf timing. While Korea commemorates liberation from Japanese occupation, audiences are flocking to a franchise that critics say has fraught associations.

Complaints have ranged from the design of the protagonist’s earrings, which allegedly resemble the Rising Sun flag — viewed in Korea as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial oppression — to its Taisho-era (1912–1926) setting, which coincides with imperial expansion. Even the titular Demon Slayer corps itself has drawn comparisons to wartime student soldiers with its teenage ranks.

Last week, tensions spilled over when the LG Twins, a local baseball team, had to scrap plans to have "Demon Slayer" characters throw the ceremonial first pitch at their Aug. 9 game. The backlash was swift and charged, with many calling the promotion inappropriate so close to Liberation Day on Aug. 15.

Still, Korean audiences have proven time and again that they can separate art from politics. Back in 2021, the franchise's first theatrical release, "Mugen Train," pulled in 2.2 million Korean viewers despite being dogged by the same controversies.

This was in a country that, just two years earlier, had staged boycotts so intense during a trade dispute with Japan that Japanese beer sales plunged 97 percent and car sales 57 percent in a single month.

"Infinity Castle" kicks off a trilogy wrapping up the anime adaptation of Koyoharu Gotouge's mega-hit manga, following protagonist Tanjiro and his demon-slaying crew into their ultimate showdown in the villain's fortress. It picks up right after the anime’s fourth season, which wrapped in May 2024.

The film has already been a sensation in Japan, shattering records since its July 18 opening. It scored the biggest opening day ever with 1.64 billion yen ($11 million), the biggest single day with 2 billion yen, and the best three-day debut with 5.52 billion yen, ultimately grossing 22 billion yen to become the country’s sixth highest-grossing film of all time.

Meanwhile, "Mugen Train" — the 2020 release based on an earlier narrative arc — still holds the all-time Japanese box office crown with 40.43 billion yen in ticket sales. Its runaway success during the COVID-19 pandemic cemented "Demon Slayer" as a global juggernaut and paved the way for this trilogy’s record-breaking run.