The Juggernaut from the East: How Anime Conquered the Global Market — and What 2025’s Blockbusters Mean for the Future of Entertainment

The Juggernaut from the East: How Anime Conquered the Global Market — and What 2025’s Blockbusters Mean for the Future of Entertainment

by Prometheus Capital 

Anime is no longer a niche interest — it is a multibillion-dollar global powerhouse influencing streaming, theaters, merchandise, and the entire entertainment industry, and that has been the case for the past few years, with IPs like One Piece gaining more and more fans globally, but how has this become the case? A decade ago, you would most likely be shunned for showing love for anime, or at best, you would be met with confused glances from people who never even heard what anime you're talking about, but now there are millions of fans across the globe.

With the highly anticipated 2025 releases of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man Movie: Reze Arc, anime is positioned to reshape the global film landscape once again.

Today, we explore how anime rose from niche fandom to global economic force, how changes and trends spread through culture, and how these upcoming films might transform the future of entertainment.

How Anime Became a Global Economic Power

Anime’s rise didn’t happen overnight — it was the result of technology, social media, and worldwide demand converging all at once.

Streaming Platforms Sparked the Explosion

Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu, Amazon Prime — they made anime:

  • easy to watch

  • easy to discover

  • easy to share

Global licensing deals now bring in billions.

Merchandising Became a Market Giant

Anime merchandise often out-earns the anime itself:

  • figures

  • clothing

  • plushies

  • posters

  • collaborations

Fans don’t just watch; they spend.

Social Media Turned Fandom Into Marketing

TikTok edits, memes, Twitter threads, AMVs — this is free advertising that reaches millions instantly.

Anime Innovated While Hollywood Recycled

Hollywood’s reliance on:

  • sequels

  • reboots

  • superhero films

Anime left audiences hungry for something bold and fresh. Anime delivered deeper themes and more experimental storytelling. The best part was that Anime could stretch from various genres and had something for everyone. The biggest part of Anime's success was that what stifled its growth at first is what helped it grow. For those who were shunned for liking anime or couldn't find someone who connected to it like they did, it became an identity that allowed them to easily connect with others who were also deeply impacted by Anime's wonderful storytelling. That identity allowed fandoms to form and grow, and those loyal fans who have been with Anime through thick and thin were the reasons that these big projects like these movies can succeed, and that success on a large stage is what led others to give it a chance, and thus Anime broke into the mainstream. 

2025: The Biggest Year for Anime Theatrical Releases

This year was a huge milestone for anime as it broke many records, and most of it was thrust into the global stage to compete against Western movies.

Previous milestones include:

  • Demon Slayer: Mugen Train – $500M

  • Jujutsu Kaisen 0 – $195M 

  • Suzume – $322M 

But in 2025, the miraculous happened: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie - Infinity Castle had burst onto the scene and surpassed many films. Though it looked to be no suprise it would cross 500M as it's predecessor has done, what rocked the movie scene the most was the fact Demon Slayer actively competed against and won in the box office against some of the biggest movies from the west, namely How To Train Your Dragon, F1: The Movie, The Fantastic Four First Steps, and even the highly anticipitated Superman. No one would have thought that out of all movies, an Anime movie could surpass these movies, considering their IPs were considered too big to fail, such as How to Train Your Dragon. This year was such a landmark for Anime because two big Western IPs, Superman, one of the most beloved comic characters on earth, and the Fantastic Four, produced by Marvel, a juggernaut in the film scene, were made into films, and yet both failed to surpass an Anime movie, despite being bigger on paper. This definitive win for Anime has already started a domino effect as more anime movies are being announced for the future, namely a Solo Leveling movie sometime in 2026 or later. Chainsaw Man itself was sure to not be left behind, and quickly followed Demon Slayer's trail, making over 130M+ and being critically acclaimed and debuting with a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The most shocking detail of these two blockbusters? Their budgets. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie - Infinity Castle was made with a budget of 20 million USD, and Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc was produced on a budget of 4.1 million USD. You heard that right, Chainsaw Man made over 30 times its budget, and Demon Slayer and its 20 million budget beat out Superman with its 225 million budget, and Fantastic Four with its 200 million budget. Anime was certainly the underdog of 2025, and to say they won would be a monumental understatement.

How Anime Films Are Reshaping the Movie Industry

Hollywood is taking notes.

Anime proves you don’t need:

  • massive budgets

  • A-list actors

  • traditional marketing

…to earn enormous profits.

Anime’s new entertainment model:

  • lower costs

  • high creativity

  • passionate fanbases

  • viral internet culture

  • global simultaneous release strategy



The Economics of Fandom: Why Anime Sells

Anime has the most dedicated consumers in modern media.

Fans:

  • rewatch episodes

  • buy merch

  • attend events

  • create edits

  • join communities

  • support creators

This creates a self-sustaining economic engine.

With Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man in 2025:

→ Massive hype
→ Massive profits

→ Even stronger franchises
→ More global expansion

Anime is Here to Stay

With Chainsaw Man still expecting a second season, Demon Slayer expecting two more movies in its infinity castle saga (with fans already saying that the first was only a taste of what is to come), and Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution releasing sometime near December, we can only expect Anime to continue its monumental climb towards the top of the mainstream, and as it does we may even see some more real competition between the east and west in the film making space as we already have seen this year. Especially with Crunchyroll expressing interest in campaigning for Demon Slayer's consideration at the Academy Awards for an Oscar, widely recognized as the most prestigious award in the film industry, we can only expect to see even more from Anime in the coming years. But now we want to hear from you! Comment what you think below, and we want to know which movie you liked better. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle or Chainsaw Man Movie: Reze Arc?

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