Demon Slayer overtakes Mortal Kombat at US box office

[LOS ANGELES] After narrowly losing first place in its opening weekend, "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" has surged ahead to outpace "Mortal Kombat" on US box office charts.

The anime action adventure "Demon Slayer" is expected to end the weekend with US$6.4 million in ticket sales, while "Mortal Kombat" trails closely behind with US$6.2 million between Friday and Sunday.

Both films debuted last weekend and dipped roughly 70 per cent from initial revenues.

"Demon Slayer," which is playing in 1915 North American venues, has earned an impressive US$34.1 million in the US and Canada to date. The film, from Funimation and Aniplex, has surpassed "Dragon Ball: Super Broly" (US$30 million) to become the third-highest grossing anime title in North America.

Overseas, the latest "Demon Slayer" has already set several box office records. In Japan, it has become the highest-grossing movie ever with ticket sales surpassing US$368 million. It's also the highest-grossing anime film ever with US$423 million globally.

"Mortal Kombat," a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game, has grossed US$34 million in two weeks.

Those receipts are notable because the Warner Bros. release is playing simultaneously on HBO Max. The studio's entire 2021 slate is following a similar rollout pattern.

In third place, "Godzilla vs Kong," a Warner Bros. and Legendary film, collected US$2.7 million from 2,753 screens. The monster mashup has earned US$90 million over its first five weeks.

REUTERS