Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle became the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time and is likely to be surpassed by the next film in Infinity Castle Arc film trilogy. From 2020 Demon Slayer has managed to become an unprecedented phenomenon and it looks like it will stay that way for a while.
Despite a massive box office haul currently estimated at around $800 million, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had a somewhat modest budget, estimated at $20 million per The New York Times. Studio Ufotable is known for making things look more expensive than they really are. So let's take a look at some anime movies that, despite costing more than Demon Slayer, aren't nearly as good (and sometimes don't look nearly as good).
5 anime movies to stream this weekend instead of Demon Slayer Infinity Castle
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle might not be available for streaming yet, but you can still have a great time watching these anime movies.
5
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
|
Year |
2022 |
|
budget (USD) |
$36,000,000 |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero it's fun to watch but lacks the beautiful 2D animation style of the previous film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly. With an estimated budget of $36 million, it was much more expensive than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castlewith a “modest” revenue of about $100 million (good, but much less than Endless Castle).
The plot is mild and the 3D animation, while technically good, feels like one very long cutscene from a movie. Dragon Ball video game such as FighterZ or Xenoverse. It cost much more and delivered less than Demon Slayer.
4
Steamboy
|
Year |
2004 |
|
budget (USD) |
$26,000,000 |
Long, Steamboy was the most expensive Japanese film with a budget of around $26 million (in terms of pure production budget). In 2004, that was an insane amount of money for an animated film, especially considering that it was entirely financed by the Japanese and most of it was spent on the production process. Unfortunately, neither did the fact that he wrote and directed it Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo would turn the film into a profitable investment as it grossed around $18 million.
Guess the anime from emoticons.
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Guess the anime from emoticons.
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The animation is great even for its time and meticulously crafted, with over 180,000 hand-drawn frames. However, there are some CG cuts, and CG back then was a lot weirder than it is today. Moreover, the story itself is not that impressive. It's a good movie, but Endless Castle it has the upper hand here and doesn't even need inflation to make it cost less.
3
Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie: Pyramid of Light
|
Year |
2004 |
|
budget (USD) |
$20,000,000 |
Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie: Pyramid of Light it is said to have cost $20 million in 2004, the same estimated budget Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle today. However, accounting for inflation, its cost today would be equivalent to about $36 million, almost the same as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. It's no wonder it's often considered one of the franchise's biggest mistakes, though it still managed to at least pay off. It was a joint project between 4Kids Entertainment and TV Tokyo, but it was mostly a 4Kids gamble.
In fact, it's hard to believe that this movie was so expensive because the animation looks cheap and the plot seems made for anyone who's never heard of the franchise. It feels like an extended episode for viewers who have never seen the anime. Although it is not the most hated Yu-Gi-Oh! movie, it's too mild for something so expensive.
2
Pokemon: The Movie 2000
|
Year |
1999 |
|
budget (USD) |
$30,000,000 (including licenses) |
Pokemon: The Movie 2000 was already more expensive than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle in 1999, considering the total investment Warner Bros. put into licensing and distributing this film (even if we adjust the box office for inflation, it didn't make nearly half), it's an investment for a very simple plot. It has good animation… except for the moments where the CGI was on screen.
More than 25 years later, there really isn't much to it other than nostalgia, though today it sits mostly buried between the first film and Pokemon 3. But there are some memorable moments, like Ash's “first kiss” (or the first time he's kissed) and Team Rocket saving the world. But that's all.
1
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 three times in a row
|
Year |
2021 |
|
budget (USD) |
$29,700,000 |
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most important anime series of all time. This statement is indisputable. However, Restore tetralogy turns the franchise into something else. Some, maybe most, like it. After all, it brings closure. Some don't. That's natural. It's visually stunning, that's for sure.
However, after decades of waiting, the finale deserved something more spectacular. Maybe something with a better pace and a little more complexity. It's not that happy endings are inherently bad, but the movie feels a little weird, almost rushed, like it forced the ending. Endless Castle it just looks more in line with what Demon Slayer has to add while Three times in a row doesn't really look like what Evangelion should be (but Hideaki Anno is happy to disagree with me).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Release date
-
September 12, 2025
- Running time
-
156 minutes
- Director
-
Haruo Sotozaki, Hikaru Kondo
- Writers
-
Koyoharu Gotouge, Hikaru Kondo
-
Natsuki Hanae
Tanjiro Kamado (voice)
-
Akari Kito
Nezuko Kamado (voice)
-
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Inosuke Hashibira (voice)
-
Hiro Shimon
Zenitsu Agatsuma (voice)
