Japanese media expressed disappointment over the animated film Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle missing out on a Golden Globe, noting that despite its global box office success, it unfortunately failed to secure an award.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported on Tuesday that Demon Slayer became the first Japanese film to surpass 100 billion JPY (approximately 630 million USD) in worldwide box office revenue after its release in 157 countries. The film also ranked seventh in global box office earnings among movies released last year.
However, the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature at the 83rd annual ceremony went to Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters. This series, which has cultivated a global fandom transcending age and national boundaries, has been widely tipped as a frontrunner for the award.
The show scored a double win as “Golden,” a song performed by the series’ fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, also clinched the award for Best Original Song.
The Golden Globe category for Animation was established in 2007. In 2024, Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron became the first Japanese work to win in this category.
At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in 2025, the Disney+ limited series Shōgun, starring Hiroyuki Sanada, swept four awards, including Best Limited Series.
Shōgun is a remake of the 1980 American miniseries of the same name, based on James Clavell’s bestselling novel.