After barely losing the top domestic Box Office spot to Mortal Kombat last week, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, an anime film based on the Demon Slayer anime series, has overtaken the R-rated video game adaptation, earning $6.4 million this weekend. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat is still close behind with $6.2 million, meaning that both films experienced about a 70% drop from their debut earnings.
In total, Demon Slayer has made $34.1 million at 1,915 North American venues, meaning it has surpassed Dragon Ball: Super Broly to become the third-highest grossing anime film ever in North America. Worldwide, Demon Slayer has become the highest-grossing anime film of all time, earning $423 million.
A potential reason for Demon Slayer passing Mortal Kombat could be because the latter released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. So, while audiences can choose to watch Mortal Kombat from the convenience of their own home, they’d have to go to a theater in order to see Demon Slayer.
Third place this weekend went to Godzilla vs. Kong with $2.7 million, which recently became the highest-grossing pandemic-era film and brought back hope for U.S. theaters. The horror movie Separation opened in fourth place with $1.8 million, and the Bob Odenkirk-led action film Nobody earned $1.2 million.