Mortal Kombat may have grabbed the majority of the headlines when it debuted at the top of the domestic box office with a $23 million opening weekend, but it only held the top spot for a week. International phenomenon Demon Slayer: Mugen Train would ascend to the throne seven days later, continuing an impressive showing that’s seen it become the highest-grossing Japanese movie in history.
So far, the anime has hauled in over $477 million globally to put it $50 million ahead of Godzilla vs. Kong when it comes to the distinction of being the most commercially successful non-Chinese film released since the beginning of 2020. Naturally, then, a new rumor now claims that a live-action adaptation is in the works to capitalize on that success, but any additional details remain thin on the ground for the time being.
Of course, Hollywood has a patchy track record at best when it comes to translating popular Japanese properties to the big screen, and for every Alita: Battle Angel there are a handful of Ghost in the Shells of Dragonball Zs. Demon Slayer is also a story tied intrinsically to the country, set largely during the Taisho era that took place between July 1912 and December 1926.
The basic gist of the plot is that youngster Tanjiro Kamado lives in the mountains with his family and has been forced into the role of provider after his father’s death, before his family are attacked and his sister gets transformed into a demon, causing him to join up with the Demon Slayer Corps to decapitate as many monsters as possible using weapons made from Sun Steel.
That alone sounds like the sort of premise that would emerge unrecognizable when put through the Stateside studio wringer, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for Demon Slayer‘s cinematic future.
Published: May 19, 2021 11:31 am