Top 5 Highest Grossing Anime Films in India So Far

When "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle" hits Indian screens, it will mark a watershed moment for anime in the country. With projections targeting an unprecedented ₹30-40 crore ($3.6-$4.8 million) opening across 750+ screens, the film is being released with the scale and ambition typically reserved for major Bollywood productions or Hollywood tentpoles.

This isn't just another anime release; it represents the culmination of a remarkable transformation in Indian entertainment. What was once a niche market has exploded into a multi crore ecosystem, transforming multiplexes from Chennai to Delhi into venues for cultural phenomena that transcend traditional entertainment boundaries.

The "Infinity Castle" release signals anime's complete mainstream integration, but this revolution didn't happen overnight. Five groundbreaking films laid the foundation, each breaking barriers and expanding what was possible for Japanese animation in Indian cinemas. Here's how they built the market that makes today's blockbuster anime releases possible.

With a lifetime gross of ₹10.00 Crore, Suzume stands as the reigning record holder for Japanese anime films in India. Distributed by PVR INOX Pictures, its success proved the power of a celebrated creator. 

Director Makoto Shinkai, already beloved by Indian fans for Your Name and Weathering With You, leveraged his auteur status into a box office hit. PVR’s promotional tour, which included Shinkai visiting India, fostered a direct connection with the fanbase, cementing the film as a cultural event and establishing the ₹10 crore mark as the ceiling to beat.

Decades of Saturday morning cartoons on Hungama TV paid dividends when "Our Dinosaur Diary" became a family phenomenon. Unlike the teen-targeted action films dominating anime discourse, Shinchan tapped into something deeper: generational nostalgia.

Parents who grew up watching the mischievous five-year-old brought their own children, creating a rare cross-generational cinema experience. PVR INOX Pictures' distribution strategy recognized this unique appeal, marketing to families rather than just anime enthusiasts. The film's near-₹10 crore performance proved that the anime market isn't monolithic. There's room for different genres, different audiences, and different types of storytelling.

This was the moment everything changed. "Jujutsu Kaisen 0" didn't just perform well. It outperformed major Bollywood releases in pre-sales, moving over 50,000 tickets before opening day and generating a massive ₹5.4 crore weekend.

The film's success sent shockwaves through the industry. Here was concrete proof that a contemporary action anime could pull mainstream numbers, compete directly with established entertainment, and generate the kind of buzz typically reserved for major releases. PVR Pictures took notice, immediately committing to bring more anime content to Indian screens. In industry terms, JJK0 "de-risked" anime for distributors, transforming it from a gamble into a viable investment.

The two previous Demon Slayer releases are perhaps the most important indicators for Infinity Castle. Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training (2024) earned ₹6.50 Crore (via Sony Pictures, Crunchyroll), while Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village (2023) earned ₹6.00 Crore (via PVR Pictures, Odex). 

Neither of these were traditional movies; they were "recap films" compiling TV episodes with a season preview. Their strong financial performance, despite being partially seen content, was undeniable proof of the raw power and loyalty of the Demon Slayer fanbase. Audiences proved they would pay premium prices for the big-screen experience. 

This low-risk strategy served as invaluable market research, providing Sony and Crunchyroll with the hard data they needed to justify a massive investment in a true blockbuster.

The success of the top five built the market, but Infinity Castle is fundamentally changing the rules of engagement. Its projected ₹30-40 crore+ haul ($3.6M+) is the result of a "perfect storm" of strategic factors that define the new mainstream playbook, moving anime from a niche product to a blockbuster asset class.

The most significant shift is the adoption of a blockbuster distribution strategy. The unprecedented 750+ screen launch pushes the film far beyond traditional metropolitan niches, aggressively engaging the broad, national cinema-going public in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities for the first time. 

This physical scale is only viable because it is paired with hyper-localization: a simultaneous release in five languages (Japanese, English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu). This dismantles the language barrier, employing the same successful strategy used by Marvel and pan-Indian domestic films to maximize reach and accessibility in India’s diverse market.

The film has registered over 711,000 "interests" on BookMyShow, and advance ticket sales crossed the ₹5 crore (approx. $600,000) mark days before the premiere. Backed by mainstream celebrity promotions and a distribution model identical to a major Hollywood tentpole, Infinity Castle is the definitive proof-of-concept that India is no longer an "emerging market" for anime; it is a core global engine, ready to deliver numbers that will redefine the industry for years to come.

The path cleared by Infinity Castle sets the stage for a new slate of guaranteed blockbusters, permanently altering the distribution calendar. The most anticipated is undoubtedly Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc, the theatrical continuation of the massively popular MAPPA series, which is tracking to rival the hype of Jujutsu Kaisen 0. 

Logically, the Demon Slayer franchise itself will continue this trend; since Infinity Castle only begins the finale, the subsequent films adapting the manga's conclusion are now guaranteed an equally massive, if not larger, scale release.