Beyond Bollywood: How Demon Slayer is making anime a mainstream revenue stream for Indian theaters

The film has already crossed ₹65 crore in box-office collections in the country, leaving past anime successes, such as Suzume ( ₹10 crore) and Jujutsu Kaisen ( ₹9 crore), far behind.

Demon Slayer’s success proves that what was once a niche, subcultural interest has entered the mainstream—powered by sustained exposure and sharper marketing.

A loya fan base

To be sure, Japanese anime has built a loyal TV fan base in the country since the early 2000s.

Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, said the traction comes from years of steady fandom growth, anime content on over-the-top platforms, social-media buzz, and community-driven engagement. When such titles reach cinemas, fans treat them as a shared cultural event, which explains the strong response, Sampat added.

“The traction we see today has been cultivated over years through digital platforms, where passionate fan communities found space to discover, engage, and advocate for the genre," said Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer, cinemas, BookMyShow.

Companies attempting to localize Japanese anime shows in local languages have discovered that the films and series tackle complex themes such as friendship, loss and racism.

“The success of Demon Slayer highlights a clear appetite for cinematic anime experiences, with fans eager to come together in theatres to celebrate their favourite stories. This traction has been built on growing accessibility through streaming and expanded localization in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu," said Mitchel Berger, executive vice-president, global commerce at Crunchyroll, a global anime brand.

A boon for the theatre business

If nurtured, the trend could ease box-office dependence on traditional Hollywood and Bollywood fare and boost theatre footfalls.

“The success of Demon Slayer clearly proves that anime is no longer a niche category in India—it has truly gone mainstream, clocking 1 million plus admissions within the first five days. We are seeing a strong and diverse audience base, extending beyond core anime fans to families, students, and casual moviegoers," said Gautam Dutta, chief executive, revenue and operations, PVR INOX Ltd.

Anime has crossed over from cult to commercial in the country, concurred Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of Miraj Entertainment Ltd.

“It’s not just legacy franchises like Dragon Ball or Naruto anymore; newer titles are pulling crowds. What’s driving this is a digitally native audience that grew up on anime through streaming and social media. They’re emotionally invested, and that’s translating into actual ticket sales. This isn’t a passing trend—it’s a cultural shift," Mendiratta added.

Experts said fresh and relatively non-mainstream genres like anime could help the theatrical business, given that studios are investing much more effort in dubbing quality, voice casting, distribution, and marketing campaigns for such films.

Shony Panjikaran, general manager and head of Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI)-India, which distributed Demon Slayer, said the company rolled it out on an unprecedented 1,950 screens—over four times more than any previous anime release—with round-the-clock shows, including 5am screenings, a first for any film in 2025.

While the widest anime release before had touched around 120 cities, Demon Slayer stormed into nearly 600 cities, unlocking 480 new locations where anime had never played theatrically, Panjikaran added.

Besides, for the first time, an anime film was released in five languages—Japanese, Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu. Sony released Chainsaw Man-The Movie: Reze Arc last weekend in Japanese and Hindi.