A scene from the film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” (provided by Animax Broadcasting Korea)
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The Japanese animated film Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has become South Korea’s No. 1 box-office title of the year, marking the first time an animated film — domestic or foreign — has topped the country’s annual rankings.
Distributor Animax Broadcasting Korea said Saturday that the film had drawn more than 5.638 million viewers as of Nov. 22, edging past the previous leader Zombie Daughter, which recorded 5.637 million admissions.
While foreign animation has long been popular in Korea — Frozen 2 drew a record 13.36 million viewers in 2019 — no animated title had ever finished a full year at No. 1, previously losing out to local live-action hits such as Extreme Job and Avengers: Endgame in the same year.
Animax attributed the film’s success to its “exceptional visual quality and overwhelming action scale,” which fueled a strong wave of repeat (“Nth-time”) viewings, especially across premium formats. Nearly 19 percent of admissions came from 4DX, IMAX and Dolby Cinema screenings, with the 4DX version becoming the format’s highest-grossing release worldwide this year, surpassing US$2,930 in revenue.
Infinity Castle, based on the best-selling Demon Slayer manga and anime series, is the first installment of a planned trilogy that adapts the franchise’s final arc. The film depicts the climactic showdown between the Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji, the leader of the demons, after he draws the protagonists into the labyrinthine “Infinity Castle.”
Following its Aug. 22 release, the film surpassed 1 million admissions within two days and reached 3 million in just ten days — the fastest pace among all 2024 releases in Korea. Earlier this month, it also overtook Suzume (2023), the previous record-holder for the highest-grossing Japanese animated film in Korea.
With Infinity Castle now leading the annual box office, it signals not just a banner year for the Demon Slayer franchise, but a milestone for the expanding influence of theatrical anime in Korea’s mainstream movie market.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
