Like, it's SO painfully obvious to see through Aniplex's strategies. They're not even subtle, lol. It's like watching a kid stuff a science fair ballot box with their own name and acting like they won on merit.
>pull Superman after 1 week despite good WOM and box office for a Western cape flick in Japan
>pull F1 even though it's still pulling numbers and is more visually suited to IMAX
>jam Demon Slayer into every screen like a fast-food chain trying to upsell you fries on fries
This strategy is called "screen monopolization" in cinema terms. They bullied F1 and Superman out not because those movies flopped, but because they threatened even the tiniest % of opening week revenue, lmfao. One Piece Film Red did the same thing.
>tons of IMAX and 4DX showings in Week 1
>saturation in Tokyo and big markets
>limited edition giveaway items like artbooks and postcards to juice rewatch numbers
>and still, despite everything, it didn't even reach half of Mugen Train's total
Also, Jurassic World is still the real threat. Even Fantastic Four: First Steps (despite Marvel fatigue and Japan's capeshit apathy) can squeeze even decent showtimes, that's screen time Demon Slayer loses. And Jurassic World is a box office shark, it made $537M in just 13 days (still growing). Dinosaurs are universal, Japan likes dinosaurs, and it's getting the full rollout August 8. Aniplex are clearly terrified of Week 3, even Week 2. That's why the IMAX format was yanked from everything, not because Demon Slayer earned it, but because Aniplex/Sony demanded the monopoly.