Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has annihilated the box office over the weekend, surpassing The Conjuring: Last Rites's second weekend by $45 million. Yes, it's a very, very big lead. Infinity Castle grossed over $70 million during its opening weekend in the United States; it's on track to beat the records set by its first film, Mugen Train, which is currently the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
Fall might not have technically started yet, but you can still nestle in a dark air-conditioned theater and pretend to your heart's content with this week's plethora of options. Alongside The Long Walk, there's the reunion of a decades-old fake rock band, a return of a charming singing nun/babysitter, another murder in a New York, and a chance to go back in Pixar's toy box. (A lot of returns, huh?) Plus, the Emmys!
The film picks up from a thrilling cliffhanger of the fourth season, where Tanjiro and his fellow comrades are thrust into the lair of the demon-in-chief, the cunning and all-powerful Muzan Kibutsuji. Much of the film is structured around various battles between the series regulars and their sworn enemies. The challenge of sustaining the narrative is tempered by the use of flashbacks, providing a backstory for each of the formidable foes.