And would you look at that, even the Japanese are agreeing with me and everything I've argued from rewatch value, market saturation, post-boom fatigue to screen competition is confirmed by mainstream Japanese reporting. And no amount of fanboy screeching about "400億確定!" changes the math. Man, this year keeps getting better and better. I'll translate what the article says.
> 2020年当時はコロナ禍で公開される作品が少なく、多くのスクリーンを長期間確保できましたが、今回は多くの大作・話題作がひしめく夏休みシーズンです。
>Back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, there were very few film releases, allowing for a long-term hold on many screens. This time, however, it's the summer vacation season, crowded with many big titles and hot releases.
Translation: Mugen Train was a fluke. It benefited from an empty playing field but that's not the case in 2025. Infinity Castle has real competition from all sides.
>大ヒット中の『国宝』は前週を上回る右肩上がりの興行を続けており、その勢いはまだまだ続きそうです。
>The currently successful film Kokuhou is continuing to perform even better than the previous week, and its momentum looks to continue.
Translation: Demon Slayer isn't even the only big local fish. Kokuhou (a sleeper hit) is holding steady and cutting into repeat viewer attention. A huge chunk of Japanese filmgoers especially older cinephiles, critics, and film industry veterans WILL absolutely bump up Kokuhou's box office since they resent the monopolization of screens by anime franchises like Demon Slayer, Conan, and One Piece.

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