Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has become the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time, and will probably be surpassed by the next film i Infinity Castle Arc film trilogy. Since 2020, Demon Slayer has managed to become an unprecedented phenomenon, and it looks set to remain so for some time.
But despite the massive box office haul, currently estimated at around $800 million, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had a somewhat modest budget, estimated at $20 million per New York Times. Studio Ufotable is known for making things look more expensive than they actually are. So let's check out some anime movies that, despite costing more than Demon Slayer, aren't nearly as good (and sometimes don't even look as good).
5 Anime Movies You Can 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 fun watching these anime movies instead.
5
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
|
Year |
2022 |
|
Budget (USD) |
36,000,000 USD |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is fun to watch, but it 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” return of about $100 million (good, but much less than Infinity Castle).
The action is bland and the 3D animation, while technically high quality, makes the film feel like a very long cutscene from a Dragon Ball video games, such as FighterZ or Xenoverse. It cost much more and delivered less than Demon Slayer.
4
Steamboy
|
Year |
2004 |
|
Budget (USD) |
$26,000,000 |
For a long time, Steamboy was the most expensive Japanese film, with a budget of around $26 million (when it comes to pure production budget). Back in 2004, this was an insane amount of money for an animated film, especially considering that it was entirely Japanese-financed and most of it went into the production process. Unfortunately, not even the fact that it was written and directed by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo would turn this film into a profitable investment, as it grossed around $18 million.
Guess the anime from the emojis.
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Guess the anime from the emojis.
Light (120s) Medium (90s) Hard (60s)
The animation, even for the time, is stunning and meticulously crafted, with over 180,000 hand-drawn frames. There are some CG cuts though, and CG back then was a lot weirder than today. Also, the story itself is not as impressive. It's a good movie, though Infinity Castle has the upper hand here and doesn't even need to apply inflation to have cost less.
3
Yu-Gi-Oh! The movie: Pyramid of Light
|
Year |
2004 |
|
Budget (USD) |
$20,000,000 |
Yu-Gi-Oh! The movie: Pyramid of Light said to have cost $20 million in 2004, the same estimated budget for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle today. However, factoring in inflation, the cost would be equivalent to about $36 million today, almost the same as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. No wonder it's often considered one of the biggest mistakes of the franchise, even though it still managed to pay for itself. It was a joint project between 4Kids Entertainment and TV Tokyo, but mostly a 4Kids game.
It's actually hard to believe 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! film, it's too mild for something this expensive.
2
Pokemon: The Movie 2000
|
Year |
1999 |
|
Budget (USD) |
$30,000,000 (including licensing) |
Pokemon: The Movie 2000 was already more expensive than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle In 1999 if we consider the total investment that Warner Bros put into licensing and distributing this film (and even if we adjust the box office for inflation, it didn't make nearly half as much), such an investment for a very simple act. 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, although today it's mostly buried between the first film and Pokémon 3. There are some memorable moments though, like Ash's “first kiss” (or the first time he's kissed) and Team Rocket saving the world. But that's all there is.
1
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Three times in time
|
Year |
2021 |
|
Budget (USD) |
$29,700,000 |
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most important anime series of all time. That claim is undisputed. But that one Rebuild tetralogy turns the franchise into something else. Some, maybe most, like it. After all, it brings closure. Some don't. It is natural. It's visually stunning, that's for sure.
But after decades of waiting, the finale deserved something bigger. Something with a better pace and a little more complexity, maybe. It's not that happy endings are inherently bad, but the movie feels a little weird, almost rushed, like forcing the ending. Infinity Castle just looks more in line with what Demon Slayer is supposed to deliver, while Three times in time doesn't really look like what The Gospel should be (but Hideaki Anno is happy to agree with me).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Release date
-
September 12, 2025
- Driving
-
156 minutes
- Director
-
Haruo Sotozaki, Hikaru Kondo
- Author
-
Koyoharu Gotouge, Hikaru Kondo
-
Natsuki Hanae
Tanjiro Kamado (voice)
-
Akari Kito
Nezuko Kamado (voice)
-
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Inosuke Hashibira (voice)
-
Hiro Shimono
Zenitsu Agatsuma (voice)
