Highlights
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle has made history as the first anime film nominated for Best Superhero Movie at the 2026 Critics' Choice Super Awards.
- The nomination places the Ufotable-produced film alongside major Hollywood releases such as Superman, Supergirl, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
- The achievement follows Infinity Castle’s record-breaking box office run, which saw it become the highest-grossing anime film worldwide.
The first Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle has secured a nomination for Best Superhero Movie at the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards. Following the Critics Choice Association’s (CCA) announcement on July 15, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle became the first anime theatrical release to compete in the category.
The nomination places Ufotable’s anime feature alongside Hollywood franchise films, including Superman and Supergirl. The other four contenders in the Best Superhero Movie category are The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Masters of the Universe, Mortal Kombat II, and the Japanese live-action film Exit 8.
Exit 8 also picked up a Best Actor in a Superhero Movie nomination for its actor, Kazunari Ninomiya, for his role as The Lost Man in the movie. Even though Demon Slayer Infinity Castle racked up only one nomination, the milestone adds to the movie’s successful run as the highest-grossing anime movie of all time.
Critics Choice Recognition Caps Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Landmark’s Run
Infinity Castle’s nomination represents another milestone in its unusually long theatrical run. The film opened in Japan on July 18, 2025, and closed its domestic run on April 9, 2026, grossing roughly ¥40.2 billion ($252.5) million USD, at home.
The film later returned to Japanese theaters for a one-week screening beginning on June 12, 2026, commemorating its recognition at the inaugural Annual Cinema Awards (Dai-ikkai Eigakan Taishō). The movie has now become the highest-grossing anime movie globally, generating nearly $793.59M across the worldwide box office.
The Best Superhero Movie nomination is not the first recognition Demon Slayer Infinity Castle received from CCA. The film has already won the International Animation Award during CCA’s fourth annual Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television in October 2025.
Launched in 2021, the Critics Choice Super Awards were created to recognize genre films and series that mainstream award shows often pass over. Different from the broader Critics' Choice Awards, the event focuses specifically on genre storytelling, with nominees selected by over 500 members of the CCA.
For the 6th edition of Superman, the widely acclaimed James Gunn’s take on Clark Kent’s character, led the overall film nominations with six nods. While Infinity Castle received one nomination as the first anime film in this category, it reflects anime’s growing presence in Western TV and film awards.
Nonetheless, Infinity Castle’s theatrical run has already redefined the global box office potential of anime films. Demon Slayer Infinity Castle became the seventh highest-grossing film globally in 2025 and the third highest-grossing animated release worldwide that year. It is also the highest-grossing non-English film in the U.S. and the second-highest-grossing movie in Japan.
However, box-office success doesn’t always translate into critical recognition. How Infinity Castle performs at the awards will be known when the winners are revealed on Aug 6, 2026. The film is scheduled to release on July 28 across streaming platforms, including Crunchyroll, for a broader audience.
