How Demon Slayer has helped anime take the UK box office by storm – and why this is just the start

We live in an age and media landscape in which there's often a lot of doom and gloom about the so-called death of the theatrical experience.

Since the advent of streaming, it's proved consistently harder for filmmakers to attract sizeable audiences to cinemas, with box office figures generally trending downwards both in the UK and globally – especially in the years since the pandemic struck – and some fears that cinema-going culture might soon be a thing of the past.

There are, of course, a few exceptions that buck that trend. One example is horror cinema, with the likes of Sinners, Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites all posting impressive figures this year. And another exception – one which has seen major growth in the UK in recent years – is anime.

Of course, while many punters might still more closely associate the Japanese animation style with shorter-form storytelling on the small screen, it's becoming a growing force on the big screen in this country, too. That's best proven by the recent success of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle, which opened to record-breaking success in UK and Irish cinemas last month.

The first part of a trilogy which serves as the culmination of a story arc that began with four seasons on TV, the film had the highest opening weekend ever for an anime title on these shores, making an impressive £3.4m. That figure has continued to rise – with recent figures showing it had surpassed £6.5m in total – mirroring overseas success that has seen it become the highest-grossing anime film and the highest grossing Japanese film of all time.

Of course, anime is not by any means a new genre, but this success speaks to its rise to mainstream popularity in the UK and the West more generally. That rise is something which Mitchel Berger – the Head of Theatrical & SVP at anime distribution company Crunchyroll – has noticed with his own eyes in the little over a decade he's been with the company.

"Even 11 years ago, when I started, anime was popular but it was still very much a niche," he explains to RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview. "It had not really super penetrated the mainstream. Some things had – obviously, you look at Dragon Ball Z and the success it had in North America, even in Europe – but as a overall genre, it was still growing.

"Today, I think anime is just an intrinsic part of how younger generations consume media," he adds. "You talk to Gen Z, Gen Y, Gen Alpha, anime is just part of who they are. It's not a niche anymore. It's just part of their identity, how they express themselves, how they consume media. And that's been a really fascinating journey to be on."

So what has changed? For Berger, it's a direct result of streaming and internet connectivity making the art forms of other cultures far more accessible, resulting in what he describes as "a richer media landscape".

As for how specifically the success on the big screen has been accomplished, Berger thinks it's a perfect rebuttal to the often made point that streaming and theatrical are "in conflict with each other".

"I think they can absolutely support themselves," he says. "And I think Demon Slayer shows that you can build a fandom in a streaming world that translates and then you've got this very cinematic, wide scope story with Infinity Castle that works on the big screen."

He adds that "on a more fundamental level" there is one thing in particular that has been enticing for younger audiences.

"They absolutely crave in person, real life experiences," he says. "For being a digital native generation, they like to do things in real life, with friends. And not everybody can get to a convention every year. Not everybody can get to San Diego Comic Con or MCM or any of those kind of things.

"If you can, it's great. It's an amazing experience. But not everybody can do it. Everybody can, however, get to their local cinema. And when you go to see a film like this in the cinema, what you find is it is almost a mini convention. It is a place where you're with a couple hundred of your friends and acquaintances and strangers that just share this love of this piece of IP.

"And there's an energy there. There's a shared camaraderie, there's a understanding of we're all here because we love this thing and the experience itself."

As part of his job, Berger has travelled around the world and seen reactions to the Demon Slayer film in a huge number of locations. And he has been struck by just how moved audiences have been every time he's watched it, remarking that "there's always somebody in tears at some point" in every screening.

"If you're coming in from the outside, you look at Demon Slayer, and it's clearly action-oriented – sword fighting, killing demons, there's all kind of crazy stuff going on," he says. "But there's such an emotional resonance and depth to the story and these characters.

"[Audiences] truly care about these characters, and you see this wonderful story arc in the film with a couple of characters and some really pivotal moments, some happy and some sad. What I love to see is that that person has made such a connection with this fictional character that they're moved to tears. That, to me, is the magic of storytelling and why movies exist and why anime exists is to make that connection."

Perhaps one of the other reasons for the new success in the UK is a growing awareness of just how wide-ranging anime is. Far from being a genre in itself – as some people might erroneously claim – the art form encompasses all sorts of very different storytelling styles and forms, such that Berger truly believes that it has something to offer just about everybody.

He mentions that he sees people who might previously have thought themselves averse to anime changing their minds "all the time," and has especially enjoyed using the success of Demon Slayer to have conversations that might lead to yet more conversions later down the line.

"I've got tons of friends across the entertainment business, and what was interesting to me – especially for Demon Slayer – is I got calls from folks that I haven't heard from in a while, that were like, 'Hey, what is going on? Like what is happening here? How did this work? How did this happen?'

"And it just creates an interest and an opportunity to have the conversation," he explains. "What I love to help people understand is if you've not grown up watching anime, if you're not a native fan, if you're not a fan yourself, it can be intimidating. It's a lot there.

"And what I love is the opportunity to educate people on, 'Hey, there's something for everybody here.' If you came to me and said, 'Hey, I'm going to start watching movies, what should I watch?' I can't answer that question. There's just too many choices there. Same way with anime, if you ask me, 'What anime should I watch? I can't tell you.

"Like, 'What are you interested in?' Because we've got a little something for everybody. There's so many genres within this medium of anime, and I think something like Demon Slayer – by getting into the public consciousness and getting exposed to a wider group of folks – it creates those conversations.

"It gives you the opportunity to help people see the rich well of storytelling and interesting characters that we have within this medium."

Berger explains that that conversation can then act as a gateway to the medium, and that once people have been exposed to anime for the first time they soon realise how much there is to dig into.

What's especially great, he says, is how willing fans are to share their love for particular shows and films, contributing to what he calls "a wonderful journey to be on once you get into the pool".

With that in mind, it seems likely that the UK anime audience is only going to increase further in the coming years – and there's lots of upcoming big screen experiences for those new fans to look forward to.

Of course, as mentioned above, the recently released Demon Slayer film is just the first in a trilogy, and Berger hopes the "massive appetite" he's already seen for those films in particular will continue to grow.

"We're enjoying the ride right now with Demon Slayer, so I would be crazy if I didn't tell you I was looking forward to seeing what that's going to be like," he says of the next two films. "It's really exciting to be on a journey like this, and know that you're part of something that – at least so far – has been historic, and fans have loved."

He also mentions "a couple of interesting things coming down the line" for UK audiences, including a Jujutsu Kaisen film coming in Mid-November which he thinks will be "really special," and a That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime film.

"There are some really fun things coming next year – I can't talk about them yet, unfortunately, but we do have some other fun stuff coming," he continues. "I think there's never been a better time to be an anime fan. There's just great content being made. And I think that the theatrical experience is really, really coming into its own.

"It's a wonderful way to experience content. And I am excited and hopeful that we're going to continue to see great things being made for the foreseeable future, and give people a chance to come experience anime on the biggest screen with the best sound, with a group of friends, and just have that wonderful singular experience."

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