A new Demon Slayer: Mugen Train trailer recently uploaded to YouTube by co-distributor Aniplex USA reveals that, stateside, the anime due to hit theaters on April 23 will be rated R for “violence and bloody images.” This may prove a North American box office challenge to the popular anime, which in Japan garnered a PG-12 via the Eirin, the Japanese rating board. Even still, The Japan Times ran an op-ed titled and asking the question: “Is Demon Slayer too violent for children?”
In Japan, a PG-12 is similar to an American PG-13, meaning that parental discretion and accompaniment is required only for children under 12–whereas an R rating means IDs must be checked and anyone under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. Reporting on how Demon Slayer: Mugen Train performed in Japan, Deadline writes that when the film opened back in October, it was “the fastest film to achieve over $100M… getting there in just 10 days.” As if that weren’t impressive enough, Demon Slayer also usurped Spirited Away’s throne as the highest grossing film in Japanese history. In other words, an R-rating for Western audiences has the potential to complicate the film’s recently announced North American path for release.
As confidence returns in the moviegoing experience once again being viable and safe, pre-orders for theatrical tickets to Demon Slayer: Mugen Train will be available starting April 9 via this website. In addition to choosing between sub or dub tickets, fans can also opt for 4DX and IMAX experiences. Hopefully, the trailer gives you a sense of what that experience might be like, on a screen much, much larger than your phone or computer.
Fans will additionally be able to pre-order the film on Apple TV, the Microsoft Store, and the PlayStation Store starting April 26. After the theatrical window, fans will be able to watch the film on streaming popular platforms on June 22.
Mugen Train follows the events of Demon Slayer’s final episode, in which Tanjiro Kamado and company follow Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku to investigate a mysterious series of disappearances occurring on a train. One of the Twelve Kizuki’s, Enmu, is also aboard the train and things quickly take a turn for the worst.
Source: GameSpot
