SATURDAY AM UPDATE: Wow, it’s a great weekend at the box office, even by pre-pandemic standards. Two movies, both R-rated and aimed at fanboys, aren’t squashing one another, but equally set to gross over $19M apiece this weekend. We’re talking about New Line/HBO Max’s Mortal Kombat and Funimation/Aniplex’s Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train. Seriously,
Funimation
Despite AT&T CEO John Stankey’s victory lap today about WarnerMedia’s theatrical and HBO Max release strategy with Godzilla vs. Kong, the studio’s R-rated title, Mortal Kombat, is facing a serious threat at the weekend box office from a traditional theatrical release and rival Asian IP, Funimation/Aniplex of America’s Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen
Japanese box office phenomenon Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train has been set for a North American theatrical release on April 23. Aniplex of America and Funimation are distributing the anime adaptation which in December became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, dethroning Spirited Away, which had held the title