Demon Slayer kills big-name rivals to become Japan's highest grossing film

Runaway success of the story of Tanjiro - a boy who shows remarkable resilience in the face of obstacles - comes despite the coronavirus pandemic

Not even a pandemic has been able to stop an animated film set a century ago from becoming Japan's highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing sales from Hollywood blockbusters, the Harry Potter series, and even the works of the revered Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.

Since its release in mid-October, Demon Slayer has generated ticket sales of 32.47bn [$313m], according to figures released on Monday by its distributors.