{"id":60773,"date":"2026-02-26T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=60773"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:54:15","slug":"animes-massive-success-in-us-theaters-has-more-to-do-with-the-power-of-fandoms-than-the-medium-itself-becoming-dominant-according-to-japanese-filmmaker-and-journalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/animes-massive-success-in-us-theaters-has-more-to-do-with-the-power-of-fandoms-than-the-medium-itself-becoming-dominant-according-to-japanese-filmmaker-and-journalist\/","title":{"rendered":"Anime\u2019s massive success in US theaters has more to do with the power of fandoms than the medium itself becoming dominant, according to Japanese filmmaker and journalist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The recent surge in the popularity of Japanese anime movies at the North American box office may appear to be a sweeping cultural victory of Japan\u2019s soft power, but according to Los Angeles-based filmmaker and journalist Mirai Konishi, the real drivers behind the numbers are fan gatherings and streaming services, rather than the medium’s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent column on Eiga.com (via Yahoo News<\/a>), Konishi points to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle<\/strong>, which earned $70.6 million on its North American opening weekend in September last year, breaking the record set by Pok\u00e9mon: The First Movie in 1999. The following month, Chainsaw Man \u2013 The Movie: Reze Arc<\/strong> also opened at No. 1, with images of young moviegoers in cosplay circulating widely on social media. However, Konishi is cautious about how to interpret these results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hesitate to call this phenomenon a \u2018victory for Japan,\u201d he writes, arguing that the success of anime in US theaters is not because of the cultural power of the medium, but is a result of an overall shift in the American theater market. As he clarified, cinemas in the US had increasingly shifted from being places to watch movies to \u201cevent venues,\u201d or \u201cplaces to participate in a movie experience,\u201d which seamlessly tied into anime and cosplay culture.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argues that the biggest factor behind this shift is the spread of streaming services which ended up significantly reducing \u201ctheatrical window\u201d between a movie\u2019s premiere in cinemas and its streaming debut (it has shrunk from an average of 90 days before the pandemic to 32 days today), making the audiences less inclined to visit theaters unless the opening weekend feels like a must-attend event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Konishi believes that only large-scale, event-style blockbusters, movies that make audiences think, \u201cI have to see this on opening weekend, on the big screen, with a crowd,\u201d can motivate people to leave their homes and watch movies in theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd Japanese anime fulfills those \u2018event\u2019 conditions remarkably well,\u201d he adds, noting that fans of Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man shared information on social media before release, prepared cosplay, bought merchandise, and treated the opening day \u201cas a community celebration.\u201d For them, going to the theater was not simply about watching a movie, but \u201csharing space with other enthusiasts love the same work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing up the The First Slam Dunk movie, which grossed over 15.7 billion yen in Japan but earned just $1.05 million (approximately 160 million yen) in North America, Konishi emphasizes that not all anime benefit equally, especially if they don\u2019t already have a steady fanbase in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo matter how high the quality of the work, if the prerequisite for it to function as an event\u2014a group of fans eager to rush to see it on opening day\u2014was missing, people simply wouldn’t come to the theaters,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sums up his perspective by saying that Demon Slayer\u2019s $70.6 million opening \u201cis not proof that Japanese content has been universally accepted in America,\u201d but rather the result of a specific alignment between established North American anime fandoms and the structural changes in American movie theaters. According to him, such outstanding box office numbers are only possible with works that have a lot of steady fans among younger generations, who are already familiar with anime culture through streaming platforms, and are excited to experiences theatrical releases of their favorite anime as “events.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie\u2019s demanding production requirements may be why there\u2019s no news on the Genshin Impact anime, fans speculate<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demon Slayer manga sees overwhelming sales even after ending 5 years ago<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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