Greetings,This edition of the newsletter comes in the wake of the shocking shooting death of Charlie Kirk, a key figure in the conservative movement, as he spoke at a Utah college. Kirk, 31, had a massive media following and was a vastly influential voice in MAGA politics. The details are still developing, and you can get the latest updates at TheWrap. Anime has long been a niche interest in America, but it's clear the medium is nearing mainstream awareness — particularly for younger audiences. The latest evidence is “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle,” which is expected to have a big opening this weekend at the box office and could be a coup for Sony and its anime streaming service Crunchyroll. "Demon Slayer" (not to be mixed up with Netflix's more kid-friendly "KPop Demon Hunters") is an ultra-popular anime series about a group of skilled Taishō-era warriors tasked with hunting evil demons, with "Infinity Castle" the first in a trilogy of movies that will conclude the overarching story (think if "Game of Thrones" opted to finish its adaptation with films instead of several rushed seasons). What makes "Demon Slayer" noteworthy is that the first film that spun out of the show, "Mugen Train," was a surprise hit in 2021 that came just as theaters were re-opening after a year of COVID closures. It seemingly came out of nowhere, and brought anime as a category with box office potential into focus. You can learn more about that release from my conversation with Mitchel Berger, executive vice president of global commerce of Crunchyroll, who is releasing "Infinity Castle" this weekend. Today's lead story, from our own Jeremy Fuster, runs through how "Infinity Castle" could break records at the box office. Roger Cheng PS: Jeffrey Katzenberg. Irving Azoff. Jerry Bruckheimer. All and more at TheGrill 2025. Subscribers get 40% off with WrapPRO40. 
Crunchyroll and parent Sony are projecting "Infinity Castle" to hit the $35 million mark at this weekend's box office, while independent estimates peg it... 
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