>>280847812
It is like US cinephiles complaining about superhero oversaturation. But what makes the Japanese's case more justified and worse is that
>1. Anime films aren't cinema-exclusive productions
Unlike MCU films, which are created for theaters, the majority of these anime movies are extensions of weekly TV shows, often even reusing animation and story arcs that already aired. Infinity Castle is part of a TV series finale not a standalone theatrical film. It's literally TV content being shoved into every IMAX and 4DX screen. So Japanese cinephiles have more reason to be frustrated when actual cinema (like Kokuhou) gets shoved aside by repackaged broadcast episodes.
>2. Theater saturation is WAY more aggressive
Infinity Castle had 40+ screenings in one theater on opening day. That's not "popular movie gets lots of screens", that's cinematic colonization. It pushed out smaller domestic films and even limited the legs of other successful Japanese franchises like Kamen Rider.
>3. Runtime bottlenecks
The 2.5 hour runtime makes it less profitable per screen per day. Theaters hate that long runtimes slow down turnover, and it cannibalizes space for more efficient showings of other films. Cinephiles are not just mad because it’s anime, they're mad because anime's economic footprint damages diversity in the cinema ecosystem.
>4. Anime fatigue
Unlike superhero fatigue, that built up over a decade, anime fatigue in Japanese theaters came fast and furious. Demon Slayer, JJK, One Piece, Spy x Family, Haikyuu every single one getting premium theatrical releases annually. Cinephiles and casual moviegoers are openly criticizing how theaters are becoming TV content dumps.
