Despite the pandemic. the movie theater business appears to have a pulse in Japan, with a slate of anime movies that have either found some purchase in the box office or have secured definitive release dates this fall and winter.Violet Evergarden: The Moviewrapped up its third week in theaters whileDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie Mugen TrainandPretty Guardian Sailor Moon EternalThe Movieare waiting in the wings for their own theatrical releases.
Release dates have been fluid since the global pandemic started across the entire entertainment industry andanime hasn’t been exempt from that trend.Violet Evergarden: The Moviemissed its original April 24th release date before hitting theaters in Japan on September 18th. Since then, it’s grossed 810 million yen (roughly $7.68 million) and maintained its hold on the No. 2 spot in box office sales behind Christopher Nolan’s spy thrillerTenet.
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The numbers forViolet Evergarden: The Movieare worth noting with another popular anime movieDemon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie Mugen Trainon track to release in Japan on October 16. Even further down the line isPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Moviegetting a two-part release on January 8 and July 24, 2025. TheSailor Moonmovie will be the first movie to come out in the same style as the reboot of a popular magical girl anime from the 90’s.
As for anime movies waiting for their theatrical runs,Demon Slayerfollows Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko as they try and find a cure for her demon curse and seek vengeance on the demon that slaughtered their family. The anime, produced by veteran anime studio Ufotable, is known for its top-notch animation and some of the slickest fight sequences to come out that year.The Demon Slayer: Mugen Trainmovie picks up right where the anime left off following Tanjiro as he battles a powerful demon that claimed a moving train as its own. TheDemon Slayermovie managed to avoid the pandemic related production delays that plagued bothViolet EvergardenandSailor Moon, but it still does not have a release date in the US.
The Sailor Moon Eternalmovie is in murkier territory than bothDemon SlayerandViolet Evergardenmovies with a release date that is well into the winter in 2021.It joined the large list of moviesbeset by COVID-19 related delays when its original September 11 release date in Japan was pushed back to January 8. The movie will be released in two parts with the second coming out on February 11.
While anime is but a small part of the entertainment industry besieged by COVID-19, the fact that these movies are being released keep a tradition of theater-going alive that many are worried might die out due to the pandemic.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie Mugen Trainwill release in Japanese theaters October 16 andPretty Guardian Sailor Moon EternalThe Moviewill have a two-part release on January 8 and Aug 03, 2025.
