The 2017 Michael Bay Transformers flop, Transformers: The Last Knight, has been surpassed at the global box office by the anime sensation Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. This year’s unexpected hit has broken numerous records, solidifying its position as the highest-grossing anime film worldwide, while the Transformers franchise faces uncertainty following this box office disappointment.
Record-Breaking Success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has achieved extraordinary financial success since its release, becoming the first anime film to earn over $100 million domestically in the United States. It surpassed its predecessor, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, claiming the top spot as the biggest anime movie globally. The franchise, powered by a devoted and growing fanbase, has benefited from streaming platforms that increased its international exposure.
To date, the movie has generated approximately $620 million worldwide, including $120 million from the U.S. and $200 million from Japan, its home country. This total eclipses the lifetime box office earnings of notable releases such as Men in Black, War of the Worlds, and Logan. Additionally, Demon Slayer has outperformed this year’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and James Gunn’s Superman in global ticket sales.
Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight Underperforms
Transformers: The Last Knight, released in 2017, followed the highly successful Transformers: Age of Extinction, which grossed over $1.1 billion globally. However, The Last Knight accumulated $605 million, making it the least profitable film in Bay’s Transformers series. Produced with a budget exceeding $200 million, the film also received poor critical reception, holding a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Years after the release, Michael Bay revealed in an interview that Steven Spielberg, the franchise’s executive producer, advised him to stop making Transformers films after the third installment, but Bay continued, attracted by ongoing offers to direct. This insight underscores the challenges the series faced creatively and commercially toward its later entries.
Uncertain Outlook for the Transformers Franchise
Since The Last Knight, the Transformers series has undergone two reboots, including Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Additionally, an unrelated animated Transformers movie, likely an attempt to emulate the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, performed poorly at the box office in the previous year. The franchise’s future appears unclear, especially amid significant leadership changes at Paramount Pictures, suggesting upcoming developments are possible.
Fans and industry watchers remain attentive for announcements that may reshape the direction of the Transformers brand after this period of mixed results.
Voice Talent Behind Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
The film features prominent voice actors such as Natsuki Hanae as Tanjiro Kamado and Akari Kito as Nezuko Kamado, contributing to the film’s appeal within the anime community and beyond. Their performances continue to resonate strongly with the large audience that has sustained the franchise’s global growth.
