Sony Pictures’ "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" has become the most popular movie in North American theaters, setting a new high for the Japanese anime genre.

The film, about a boy who joins an organization that hunts demons after his little sister is turned into one, brought in $70 million from the U.S. and Canada, the division of Sony Group said Sunday. That topped the previous $31 million record set by "Pokemon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back" in 1999.

Box Office Pro had forecast weekend sales of $60 million to $75 million.