Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -- The Movie: Infinity Castle," the latest feature in the hit Japanese animation franchise, has become the top-grossing film in South Korea so far this year, according to its distributor Saturday.

According to Animax Broadcasting Korea, the film has drawn a cumulative 5.638 million moviegoers as of Friday, topping the country's previous No. 1 film, "Zombie Daughter," which recorded 5.637 million admissions.

It marked the first time an animated title has topped South Korea's annual box-office rankings. While foreign animations have set major box-office records, such as "Frozen 2," which sold 13.36 million tickets in 2019, none has reached No. 1 for the year.

Based on the comic and TV animation of the same name, the latest "Demon Slayer" movie is the first installment of a planned three-part finale to the series.

Since opening in South Korea on Aug. 22, the film reached 1 million viewers within two days and surpassed the 3 million mark on its 10th day of screening, recording the fastest pace among all movies released this year. (Yonhap)