An animated movie based on the blockbuster "Demon Slayer" manga series has broken box-office records on its debut, giving a major boost to
The movie from anime studio
The tale of an adolescent boy fighting human-eating demons in a
The movie, entitled "
Its English-dubbed and subtitled versions are slated to hit the big screens in
The TV series, dubbed in eight languages and subtitled in 13, is also being streamed online in about 110 countries, it said.
The three-day box office tally in
"The power of the animation was amazing," said
The cinema group decided to lift its self-imposed limit on theater capacity for the first three days of the film's run, but Sato said seats weren't packed and she was unconcerned about infection risks from the coronavirus as the theater's multiple screens showed it simultaneously.
The story, which first appeared in manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in
All his family members have been slaughtered except for his younger sister Nezuko, who narrowly escaped when she was transformed into a demon herself. Hoping to find a way to turn her back into a human, Tanjiro joins a vigilante corps of demon slayers.
The movie features just one set of adventures from the long-running series -- the hero's efforts to save the lives of passengers aboard the "Mugen Train," named after the Japanese word for infinity, where countless people have gone missing.
Its popularity is expected to help mitigate the massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cinema industry, which has seen the screenings of many big-name films postponed.
According to the
Although movie theaters were allowed from mid-May to gradually reopen from areas with limited infections, sales recovered to just over 30 percent of the level a year before in July and August, it said.
Even after theaters were finally allowed on
A
"I woke up at
The story runs much longer in the manga series than the plot covered in the anime and movie. The manga's 22nd volume was published this month, with the 23rd and final volume slated for release on
"I knew its ending but couldn't fight back my tears." said one 27-year-old man who watched the film with an acquaintance. "It's too bad I have to go to work now and can't discuss the movie with my friend."
==Kyodo
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