Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle Part 1 released in India on September 12, 2025, and its arrival has done more than thrill anime loyalists. It has forced a direct comparison with the Bollywood titles that have shared the calendar this year.
In terms of advance traction, Demon Slayer clocked nearly ₹25–30 crore in pre-sales, placing it ahead of every Hindi release of 2025 except ‘War 2’. For a Japanese anime feature to achieve this level of anticipation in India is unprecedented and signals a shift in audience behaviour.
The Vicky Kaushal–Triptii Dimri–Ammy Virk comedy-drama Bad Newz (July 19, 2025) opened soft in comparison, with Demon Slayer surpassing both its advance and opening day tallies. John Abraham and Sharvari’s action-drama Vedaa (August 15, 2025), despite an Independence Day slot, could not match the anime’s Day 1 numbers. Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again (August 29, 2025) (Singham franchise) entry secured wider distribution and stronger single-screen traction, but in premium metros, Demon Slayer gave it stiff competition, especially in IMAX and 4DX shows. Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s YRF tentpole War 2 (August 14, 2025) remains the only Bollywood title to convincingly outpace Demon Slayer, with record-breaking advances and a thunderous holiday weekend opening.
Opening day collections for Demon Slayer hovered around ₹13 crore, levels Bollywood associates with its mid-to-upper tier star films. In metros, the anime even carved out its own audience, pulling younger demographics into premium formats and driving unusual patterns like midnight sell-outs.
What makes Demon Slayer’s run significant isn’t just its gross, but its strategy; multi-language dubs (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu) widened reach, while fan enthusiasm amplified the theatrical experience into an event. Bollywood still dominates the wider market through star power and entrenched distribution networks — War 2’s dominance proves that — but the monopoly is no longer guaranteed.
For producers and exhibitors, the signal is clear. Theatrical audiences in India are now actively seeking variety, and international IPs with built-in fandoms are no longer niche. Demon Slayer is not a one-off; it’s a reminder that the box office pie is being carved differently, and Bollywood will need to innovate to hold ground.
For now, the anime stands as India’s highest-grossing in its category and, more importantly, as the rare foreign title that has gone head-to-head with Bollywood and emerged stronger than most.
