The speed of film
How fast is a film? I'm sure that's a question you've never thought of before. And neither had I until today, when I read, courtesy of the BBC's Justin Harper, that an anime called Demon Slayer:
…became the fastest film in Japanese cinema history last year, taking just 10 days to make 10 billion yen.
Justin Harper, business reporter, BBC News
This cannot be journalistic sloppiness on Mr Harper's part, because he cites an earlier article by Yvette Tan from October 2020:
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train has also been making a killing at the Japanese box office - becoming the fastest film in Japanese cinema history, taking just 10 days to make 10 billion yen ($95.3m; £72m).
Yvette Tan, BBC News
So, there you have it, and from none other than the world's most trusted international news broadcaster
. Demon Slayer is the fastest film in Japanese cinema history.
(SMH)
So, what's the point of this post, other than scoring petty points against BBC editorial sloppiness? Well, none; that is the point. As an adjective without further definition, fastest
commonly applies to speed, movement, or action. So, Tan probably meant that Demon Slayer is the fastest selling film in Japanese cinema history. Either that, or perhaps she really does think it could give Usain Bolt a run for his money over 100m; in which case, my money's on the Jamaican.