After much back-and-forth from fans and critics, James Gunn’sSupermanhas been proven to be an unapologetic success. Not only has the film been a massive hit with fans and critics alike, but with an opening weekend box office of approximately $220 million, it’s already one of the most successful movies of 2025 and one of the most successfulSupermanmovies, in general.
Supermanis already a massive success, but that’s not the case everywhere. WhileSupermanis doing amazing in the domestic market, it’s doing considerably worse in the international market, withSupermanonly opening to about $95 million internationallyand projected to do worse in the following weeks. Many reasons can explain Superman’s poor performance overseas, but for Japan, specifically,Supermanmight be failing because it’s in direct competition with the biggest anime movie of the year.
Japanese Fans Are Rejecting Superman In Favor Of The New Demon Slayer Movie
Superman Has Nothing On Demon Slayer In Japan
If there’s any reason whySupermanmight be failing in Japan, specifically, it’s because of the newDemon Slayermovie,Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.Infinity Castlereleases in Japan this week, and with how limited the average person’s time is and howDemon Slayercontinues to be one of the biggest franchises in modern anime, it seems likeSupermanmight be failing in Japan because people are saving their money forInfinity Castle.
That idea is hardly pure conjecture, of course.Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s ticket saleswere massive to the point of selling out in a single day and crashing most websites; meanwhile,Supermanhad its worst performance in Japan with only $2.5 million in the opening weekend, andone Japanese theater has reportedly only sold a single IMAX showing forSupermanon the day ofInfinity Castle’s premiere while the latter is practically sold out, so it’s clear which one Japanese audiences are more taken with.
Superman’s Poor Overseas Performance Is Simpler Than People Think
The Real Reason Superman Isn’t Doing Well Overseas
It’s clear thatSupermanis failing in Japan and other foreign territories, but that’s easier to explain than people think. As good asSupermanmight be, overexposure to comic book films in recent years, combined with increasingly poor performances from Marvel and DC, have made comic book films nowhere near the guaranteed hits they once were, so despite being a great film,Superman’s poor performance overseas is simply a consequence of the ongoing rejection of comic book films by general audiences.
All of that perfectly illustrates whySupermanis losing toDemon Slayerin Japan;Demon Slayeris still incredibly popular worldwide, so when it comes down to it, fans will pick it over a movie with far less certainty, even with good reviews.Supermanwill go down as an undeniable success, but unfortunately, there’s too much working against it for it to overcomeDemon Slayer: Infinity Castleand other films in the foreign market.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Cast
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle continues the battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji. As Tanjiro and the Hashira face off in the demons' stronghold, the Infinity Castle, they prepare for the decisive conflict, pitting their strength against Kibutsuji’s malevolent forces.
