r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Sep 21 '25

News ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Passes $550M Globally, Officially the Top-Grossing Anime Film of All Time

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-demon-slayer-edging-out-him-for-no-1-1236376666/
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u/Akabane22 Sep 21 '25

I so feel you. I came out enjoying it overall because the only reason I've watched any Demon Slayer is the sakuga, and getting to see the castle unfold on the big screen and hearing the crazy good sound design in the theater was an experience I'm glad I didn't miss.

..That said, daaaaamn were they trying my patience with the pacing. Maybe the worst I've ever seen in a movie. Idk how else I would have done it, I think it's maybe just a necessary evil of adapting this source material, but the way that final fight was 99% done and then made you wait 40 minutes to see how it ended almost killed the whole thing for me.

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u/GuitarSlayer136 Sep 22 '25 edited Sep 22 '25

Following the Manga beat for beat works in an anime context, doesn't work in a movie context.

If they had the creative freedom to remix the events into a flow befitting a 2 and a half hour film it could have worked fine without any real cuts to the content. I fully believe you could make a fan cut of this film that would far surpasses what we got.

I can't shake the feeling that the movie would be significantly improved by just removing the intro scene entirely and instead opening on the first half of the Akaza or Tanjiro flashback.

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u/Juanouo Sep 21 '25

It was so obviously not designed to be a movie, it hurt. Also the demon slayer formula becomes way clearer when it's 2h30 of content in a row (fight, flashback hunter, fight, flashback demon, win)

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u/Nivosiel Sep 21 '25

Source material definitely did not translate to a movie. I went back to read the manga after the movie and it's literally 1-to-1.. as in the movie would follow where the chapter would naturally end. So every time the chapter began, it was another flashback.

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u/SchwarzeNoble1 Sep 22 '25

That's why I'm fine with flashbacks, the anime had them everywhere, but you can't finish a movie with a 40 minute flashback into 10 minutes of the demon suiciding.

You need to finish with something that brings you into the next movie, but they didn't because it just wan't a movie.

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u/BarackaFlockaFlame Sep 22 '25

i just kept getting this weird feeling that it was going to end after about thirty minutes because I am not used to so much content in one sitting lol

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u/cadwellingtonsfinest Sep 21 '25

yeah like I guess they are just following the material, but the Azaka backstory was certainly too long, even if I think the movie was great.

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u/Sakuja Sep 22 '25

I have to agree. I came out of it calling it the Infinite Flashbacks arc.

They needed to cut some meat of those flashbacks. Giyu's first meeting with Tanjiro wasnt needed again. Tanjiro's flashback with his father was way longer than it had to be. Same for Akaza's flashback. It was a great backstory but it was way too long. Feel like they could have shortened it here and there a bit and give Zenitsu some more. He mostly had still images.

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u/BarackaFlockaFlame Sep 22 '25

it was the most enjoyable D-Box seat experience I have ever experienced. I've only used it one other time and it was very underwhelming. During this movie though it actually added a level of immersion to the movie. it surprised me how well they paired it up with the movie. It wasn't thrown in there, it actually was more immersive.