JAPAN BOX OFFICE | Demon Slayer breaks all time record for OW

[lab276]

Why would Brave do so well?

Japan is very friendly to Pixar films.

[lab276]

Corpse, do you have a YTD figure in either Yen or admissions? And if you do, do you know how it compares with other years?

[Corpse]

I'll be making a post on that later this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.

[lab276]

Cool, thanks

[druv10]

Corpse, do you think Disney marketing could push TA to SM territory or that's impossible?

[John Marston]

Japan is very friendly to Pixar films.

yeah but I don't know if will be the top grosser.

[Corpse]

Corpse, do you think Disney marketing could push TA to SM territory or that's impossible?

Impossible. Honestly, The Amazing Spider-Man's opening weekend shouldn't be far off The Avenger's total.The only Superhero films that became hits were the Spider-Man films and that's because Spider-Man has been a well-known figure in Japanese Pop Culture since the 1970's. There have been live-action TV shows and many other forms of media/entertainment over the years featuring Spider-Man.And the highest grossing, most attended Superhero film after the Spider-Man films is still the original Batman from the 80's which grossed 1.91 billion yen (dib share). The Avengers is also opening on a dead weekend, the first post-Obon Festival weekend. This date definitely shows there isn't much expectation for it in Japan. The weekend it opens would be comparable to perhaps post-Thanksgiving weekend in the states. That's not to say it won't do well, though, because I think it can challenge 1.91 billion yen and become the highest grossing non-Spider-Man superhero film. Currently, 1.91 billion yen is about $24 million. Edited June 11, 2012 by Corpse

[lab276]

It would've been more than 1.91b, as that was the distributor's share.

[Corpse]

Oh yes, that's correct. Batman may have grossed up to 3 billion yen since the distributors share is usually around 65%. Batman is going to hold that title for quite some time I feel.

[iceroll]

Why do Hollywood movies always get released so late in Japan?

[Corpse]

Great question, and I have a pretty long answer. There are a few reasons, but the main reason is marketing.A movie's promotion and distribution in Japan is often based on it's box office results in the U.S. and other markets first (mainly the U.S.). If a movie is released in the U.S. and performs very poorly (John Carter for example), distributors and producers then have time to abandon any investments they had planned for that film and recover as much money as they can with the delayed release in the market. And only after a film has proven to be a success will investments in promotion and distribution be made. This is very, very imported to distributors and producers and you very rarely see a Hollywood film be released in Japan before or at the same time as the U.S.(or international) release date. There are some exceptions, but they're usually big franchise films that have already proven themselves and are sure to be profitable. Even popular studios like Pixar and probable blockbusters aren't immune to receiving a delayed release (more recently Pixar films have been released a month or so after the U.S. release vs. half-a-year, though). Then you have "dead genres" like Imported animated features (Dreamworks, Bluesky, Sony Animation, etc), superhero/comic films, and comedy. Pretty much every film in those genres get released months and months (even up to a year or longer) after the U.S. release (sometimes they don't get released at all!) because there's so little appeal and demand for them in the Japanese market that investing in them is too costly.I also want to add that the average Japanese person goes to the theater once a year and will only go see a film they known they'll enjoy. This is definitely a key factor for distributors and producers in Japan. If distributors and producers sees a film in the U.S. receive poor reviews and perform poorly at the Box Office, they're not going to take the time and invest in that film's release. That's why there are so many manga, tv dramas/animes adaptations, etc. in the Top 10 every weekend, and why you see the same franchises like Doraemon, Pokemon, Kamen Rider, and many others with new films (sometimes more than one) released every year. Some of Japan's film franchises make James Bond look puny in comparison.

Edited June 12, 2012 by Corpse

[lab276]

Is there a way to change the once-a-year habit? Because that seems like something that could be potentially overcome. Is there a lack of multiplexes or is moviegoing just not a think in Japan like it is in Australia, for example.

Edited June 12, 2012 by lab276

[Corpse]

I doubt it. The Japan Box Office has been well-established since the 1950's and that's never changed.

[Corpse]

Distributor Toho sees biggest May ever

Revenue earned by Toho releases totaled 8,508,326,969 yen ($107.2 million) for the month of May with ten films in release during this time.

That's a 30.5% increase over last year, and easily gives Toho their biggest May ever.

For the year (January through May), Toho releases have earned a mammoth 32,300,017,976 yen ($406.9 million). That's a 26.2% increase over last year, and is also Toho's biggest first five months ever by being nearly 10 billion yen ($125 million) ahead of 2008-2011 which all earned 19-23 billion yen at the same point in time.

http://www.toho.co.jp/

It seems incredibly likely now that Toho will break their 2010 record of 74.9 billion yen and possibly reach 80 billion yen (over $1 billion) for 2012.

Also, the overall Box Office has either just crossed $1 billion or will before the end of the month. An announcement should be released in the upcoming weeks.

As of last week, the top 40 films earned nearly $900 million with Japanese Films accounting for almost 70% of that total. Distributor Toho has a 45% market share the first half of 2012, up 12/13% compared to previous years.

[Corpse]

2012 Box Office Charts

As of Sunday, 06/10:

Top Grossing Films (¥1 billion+)

Rank :: Revenue ¥ (billion) / $ (million) :: Title :: Release :: Admissions (million) :: Days In Release :: Distributor

01 :: ¥5.40 / $70.80 (9.42x) :: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol :: Dec '10 :: 4.24 :: OE :: Paramount

02 :: ¥5.12 / $64.51 (11.85x) :: Thermae Romae :: Apr. :: 4.03 :: 44 :: Toho

03 :: ¥3.57 / $44.62 (6.47x) :: Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: Mar. :: 3.23 :: TE :: Toho

04 :: ¥3.34 / $42.56 (6.01x) :: ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street '64 :: Jan. :: 2.63 :: TE :: Toho

05 :: ¥3.25 / $41.95 (5.17x) :: Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: Apr. :: 2.73 :: 58 :: Toho

06 :: ¥3.08 / $40.34 (5.30x) :: Kaibutsu-Kun: The Movie :: Nov '10 :: 2.31 :: TE :: Toho

07 :: ¥2.51 / $31.27 (8.50x) :: We Were There: Part I :: Mar. :: 2.09 :: TE :: Asmik Ace/Toho

08 :: ¥2.37 / $29.98 (5.06x) :: SPEC: The Movie :: Apr. :: 1.84 :: 65 :: Toho

09 :: ¥2.21 / $27.86 (3.86x) :: MIB 3 :: May :: 1.49 :: 17 :: Toho-Towa

10 :: ¥2.12 / $26.50 (6.75x) :: Liar Game: Reborn :: Mar. :: 1.74 :: TE :: Toho

11 :: ¥1.96 / $24.49 (6.46x) :: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows :: Mar. :: 1.67 :: TE :: Warner Bros.

12 :: ¥1.90 / $23.74 (6.01x) :: K-ON! The Movie :: Dec '10 :: 1.45 :: OE :: Shochiku

13 :: ¥1.79 / $22.95 (4.43x) :: Dark Shadows :: May :: 1.42 :: 23 :: Warner Bros.

14 :: ¥1.77 / $22.91 (6.39x) :: In Time :: Feb. :: 1.38 :: TE :: FOX

15 :: ¥1.69 / $21.79 (5.38x) :: We Were There: Part II :: Apr. :: 1.35 :: 51 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

16 :: ¥1.68 / $21.73 (6.09x) :: Shizanmono: The Movie :: Jan. :: 1.34 :: TE :: Toho

17 :: ¥1.56 / $20.04 (3.81x) :: Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen :: Apr. :: 1.34 :: TE :: TOEI

18 :: ¥1.51 / $19.78 (4.01x) :: Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: War Mega Max :: Dec '10 :: 1.30 :: TE :: TOEI

19 :: ¥1.49 / $19.17 (5.10x) :: Battleship :: Apr. :: 1.17 :: TE :: Toho-Towa

20 :: ¥1.47 / $19.11 (10.42x) :: Friends: Naki On Monster Island :: Dec '10 :: 1.10 :: TE :: Toho

21 :: ¥1.47 / $18.82 (3.85x) :: Space Brothers :: May :: 1.15 :: 37 :: Toho

22 :: ¥1.43 / $18.72 (9.47x) :: Fleet Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto :: Dec '10 :: 1.13 :: TE :: TOEI

23 :: ¥1.42 / $18.60 (6.31x) :: Real Steel :: Dec '10 :: 1.11 :: TE :: Walt Disney

24 :: ¥1.39 / $17.87 (8.47x) :: Tale of Genji :: Dec '10 :: 1.15 :: TE :: Toho

25 :: ¥1.28 / $15.66 (5.54x) :: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo :: Feb. :: .996 :: TE :: Sony

26 :: ¥1.20 / $15.34 (4.87x) :: Sadako 3D :: May :: .842 :: 30 :: Kadokawa Pictures

27 :: ¥1.18 / $15.29 (5.84x) :: Robo-G :: Jan. :: 1.01 :: TE :: Toho

28 :: ¥1.17 / $14.89 (6.96x) :: Puss in Boots :: Mar. :: .898 :: TE :: Paramount

29 :: ¥1.13 / $14.63 (9.45x) :: Chronicle of My Mother :: Apr. :: .869 :: 44 :: Shochiku

30 :: ¥1.12 / $14.58 (8.11x) :: Inazuma Eleven GO :: Dec '10 :: .926 :: TE :: Toho

31 :: ¥1.09 / $14.13 (4.96x) :: The Adventures of Tintin :: Dec '10 :: .754 :: TE :: Toho-Towa

32 :: ¥1.03 / $12.70 (5.28x) :: Crayon Shin-chan (2012) :: Apr. :: .963 :: TE :: Toho

33 :: ¥1.03 / $12.67 (5.88x) :: Hugo :: Mar. :: .732 :: TE :: Paramount

34 :: ¥1.02 / $12.65 (5.23x) :: Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage: Friends of the Future :: Mar. :: .881 :: TE :: TOEI

[JAPANESE FILMS] 69.1% Market Share

01 :: ¥5.12 / $64.51 (11.85x) :: Thermae Romae :: Apr. :: 4.03 :: 44 :: Toho

02 :: ¥3.57 / $44.62 (6.47x) :: Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: Mar. :: 3.23 :: TE :: Toho

03 :: ¥3.34 / $42.56 (6.01x) :: ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street '64 :: Jan. :: 2.63 :: TE :: Toho

04 :: ¥3.25 / $41.95 (5.17x) :: Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: Apr. :: 2.73 :: 58 :: Toho

05 :: ¥3.08 / $40.34 (5.30x) :: Kaibutsu-Kun: The Movie :: Nov '10 :: 2.31 :: TE :: Toho

06 :: ¥2.51 / $31.27 (8.50x) :: We Were There: Part I :: Mar. :: 2.09 :: TE :: Asmik Ace/Toho

07 :: ¥2.37 / $29.98 (5.06x) :: SPEC: The Movie :: Apr. :: 1.84 :: 65 :: Toho

08 :: ¥2.12 / $26.50 (6.75x) :: Liar Game: Reborn :: Mar. :: 1.74 :: TE :: Toho[

09 :: ¥1.90 / $23.74 (6.01x) :: K-ON! The Movie :: Dec '10 :: 1.45 :: OE :: Shochiku

10 :: ¥1.69 / $21.79 (5.38x) :: We Were There: Part II :: Apr. :: 1.35 :: 51 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

11 :: ¥1.68 / $21.73 (6.09x) :: Shizanmono: The Movie :: Jan. :: 1.34 :: TE :: Toho

12 :: ¥1.56 / $20.04 (3.81x) :: Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen :: Apr. :: 1.34 :: TE :: TOEI

13 :: ¥1.51 / $19.78 (4.01x) :: Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: War Mega Max :: Dec '10 :: 1.30 :: TE :: TOEI

14 :: ¥1.47 / $19.11 (10.42x) :: Friends: Naki On Monster Island :: Dec '10 :: 1.10 :: TE :: Toho

15 :: ¥1.47 / $18.82 (3.85x) :: Space Brothers :: May :: 1.15 :: 37 :: Toho

16 :: ¥1.43 / $18.72 (9.47x) :: Fleet Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto :: Dec '10 :: 1.13 :: TE :: TOEI

17 :: ¥1.39 / $17.87 (8.47x) :: Tale of Genji :: Dec '10 :: 1.15 :: TE :: Toho

18 :: ¥1.20 / $15.34 (4.87x) :: Sadako 3D :: May :: .842 :: 30 :: Kadokawa Pictures

19 :: ¥1.18 / $15.29 (5.84x) :: Robo-G :: Jan. :: 1.01 :: TE :: Toho

20 :: ¥1.13 / $14.63 (9.45x) :: Chronicle of My Mother :: Apr. :: .869 :: 44 :: Shochiku

21 :: ¥1.12 / $14.58 (8.11x) :: Inazuma Eleven GO :: Dec '10 :: .926 :: TE :: Toho

22 :: ¥1.03 / $12.70 (5.28x) :: Crayon Shin-chan (2012) :: Apr. :: .963 :: TE :: Toho

23 :: ¥1.02 / $12.65 (5.23x) :: Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage: Friends of the Future :: Mar. :: .881 :: TE :: TOEI

[iMPORTED FILMS] 30.9% Market Share

01 ::

¥5.40 / $70.80 (9.42x) :: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol :: Dec '10 :: 4.24 :: OE :: Paramount

02 :: ¥2.21 / $27.86 (3.86x) :: MIB 3 :: May :: 1.49 :: 17 :: Toho-Towa

03 :: ¥1.96 / $24.49 (6.46x) :: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows :: Mar. :: 1.67 :: TE :: Warner Bros.

04 :: ¥1.79 / $22.95 (4.43x) :: Dark Shadows :: May :: 1.42 :: 23 :: Warner Bros.

05 :: ¥1.77 / $22.91 (6.39x) :: In Time :: Feb. :: 1.38 :: TE :: FOX

06 :: ¥1.49 / $19.17 (5.10x) :: Battleship :: Apr. :: 1.17 :: TE :: Toho-Towa

07 :: ¥1.42 / $18.60 (6.31x) :: Real Steel :: Dec '10 :: 1.11 :: TE :: Walt Disney

08 :: ¥1.28 / $15.66 (5.54x) :: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo :: Feb. :: .996 :: TE :: Sony

09 :: ¥1.17 / $14.89 (6.96x) :: Puss in Boots :: Mar. :: .898 :: TE :: Paramount

10 :: ¥1.09 / $14.13 (4.96x) :: The Adventures of Tintin :: Dec '10 :: .754 :: TE :: Toho-Towa

11 :: ¥1.03 / $12.67 (5.88x) :: Hugo :: Mar. :: .732 :: TE :: Paramount

Thermae Romae becomes the second film this year to exceed 5 billion yen and 4 million admissions.

MIB 3 becomes the second Imported film this year to exceed 2 billion yen.

***************************************************************

***************************************************************

Top Opening Weekends (2-Days ONLY, ¥200 million+)

Rank :: Revenue ¥ (million) / $ (million) :: Title :: Release :: Admissions (thousand) :: Screen Count :: Distributor

01 :: ¥629.74 / $7.82 :: Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: Apr. :: 540.98 :: 351 :: Toho

02 :: ¥581.04 / $7.50 :: Kaibutsu-Kun: The Movie :: Nov '10 :: 431.09 :: 446 :: Toho

03 :: ¥573.57 / $7.35 :: MIB 3 :: May :: 372.97 :: 979 :: Toho-Towa

04 :: ¥573.22 / $7.34 :: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol :: Dec '10 :: 437.75 :: 636 ::Paramount

05 :: ¥555.66 / $7.22 :: ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street '64 :: Jan. :: 421.27 :: 473 :: Toho

06 :: ¥552.62 / $6.86 :: Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: Mar. :: 485.47 :: 359 :: Toho

07 :: ¥468.70 / $5.81 :: SPEC: The Movie :: Apr. :: 351.47 :: 279 :: Toho

08 :: ¥432.55 / $5.40 :: Thermae Romae :: Apr. :: 325.69 :: 304 :: Toho

09 :: ¥410.04 / $5.06 :: Kamen Rider x Super Sentei: Super Hero Taisen :: Apr. :: 355.99 :: 292 :: TOEI

10 :: ¥404.53 / $5.05 :: Dark Shadows :: May :: 311.16 :: 571 :: Warner Bros.

11 :: ¥382.32 / $4.87 :: Space Brothers :: May :: 285.34 :: 322 :: Toho

12 :: ¥378.03 / $4.84 :: Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: War Mega Max :: Dec '10 :: 333.13 :: 301 :: TOEI

13 :: ¥316.31 / $4.08 :: K-ON! The Movie :: Dec '10 :: 237.82 :: 137 :: Shochiku

14 :: ¥314.89 / $3.97 :: We Were There: Part II :: Apr. :: 242.92 :: 297 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

15 :: ¥314.70 / $3.96 :: Liar Game: Reborn :: Mar. :: 242.19 :: 318 :: Toho

16 :: ¥313.66 / $3.95 :: Glow of Fireflies :: June :: 242.82 :: 316 :: Toho

17 :: ¥303.35 / $3.72 :: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows :: Mar. :: 237.98 :: 464 :: Warner Bros.

18 :: ¥295.31 / $3.67 :: We Were There: Part I :: Mar. :: 227.24 :: 295 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

19 :: ¥292.16 / $3.65 :: Battleship :: Apr. :: 237.87 :: 545 :: Toho-Towa

20 :: ¥277.13 / $3.63 :: In Time :: Feb. :: 203.05 :: 427 :: FOX

21 :: ¥276.41 / $3.62 :: Shizanmono: The Movie :: Jan. :: 217.18 :: 377 :: Toho

22 :: ¥246.41 / $3.08 :: Sadako 3D :: May :: 154.15 :: 214 :: Kadakowa Pictures

23 :: ¥230.89 / $2.98 :: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo :: Feb. :: 178.36 :: 431 :: Sony

24 :: ¥225.05 / $2.88 :: Real Steel :: Dec '10 :: 176.25 :: 531 :: Walt Disney

25 :: ¥219.51 / $2.83 :: The Adventures of Tintin :: Dec '10 :: 148.70 :: 895 :: Toho-Towa

26 :: ¥202.39 / $2.63 :: Robo-G :: Jan. :: 164.69 :: 279 :: Toho

[JAPANESE FILMS]

01 ::

¥629.74 / $7.82 :: Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker :: Apr. :: 540.98 :: 351 :: Toho

02 :: ¥581.04 / $7.50 :: Kaibutsu-Kun: The Movie :: Nov '10 :: 431.09 :: 446 :: Toho

03 :: ¥555.66 / $7.22 :: ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street '64 :: Jan. :: 421.27 :: 473 :: Toho

04 :: ¥552.62 / $6.86 :: Doraemon: Nobita and the Island of Miracles :: Mar. :: 485.47 :: 359 :: Toho

05 :: ¥468.70 / $5.81 :: SPEC: The Movie :: Apr. :: 351.47 :: 279 :: Toho

06 :: ¥432.55 / $5.40 :: Thermae Romae :: Apr. :: 325.69 :: 304 :: Toho

07 :: ¥410.04 / $5.04 :: Kamen Rider x Super Sentei: Super Hero Taisen :: Apr. :: 355.99 :: 292 :: TOEI

08 :: ¥382.32 / $4.87 :: Space Brothers :: May :: 285.34 :: 322 :: Toho

09 :: ¥378.03 / $4.84 :: Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Fourze & OOO: War Mega Max :: Dec '10 :: 333.13 :: 301 :: TOEI

10 :: ¥316.31 / $4.08 :: K-ON! The Movie :: Dec '10 :: 237.82 :: 137 :: Shochiku

11 :: ¥314.89 / $3.97 :: We Were There: Part II :: Apr. :: 242.92 :: 297 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

12 :: ¥314.70 / $3.96 :: Liar Game: Reborn :: Mar. :: 242.19 :: 318 :: Toho

13 :: ¥313.66 / $3.95 :: Glow of Fireflies :: June :: 242.82 :: 316 :: Toho

14 :: ¥295.31 / $3.67 :: We Were There: Part I :: Mar. :: 227.24 :: 295 :: Asmik Ace/Toho

15 :: ¥276.41 / $3.62 :: Shizanmono: The Movie :: Jan. :: 217.18 :: 377 :: Toho

16 :: ¥246.41 / $3.08 :: Sadako 3D :: May :: 154.15 :: 214 :: Kadakowa Pictures

17 :: ¥202.39 / $2.63 :: Robo-G :: Jan. :: 164.69 :: 279 :: Toho

[iMPORTED FILMS]

01 ::

¥573.57 / $7.35 :: MIB 3 :: May :: 372.97 :: 979 :: Toho-Towa

02 :: ¥573.22 / $7.34 :: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol :: Dec '10 :: 437.75 :: 636 ::Paramount

03 :: ¥404.53 / $5.05 :: Dark Shadows :: May :: 311.16 :: 571 :: Warner Bros.

04 :: ¥303.35 / $3.72 :: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows :: Mar. :: 237.98 :: 464 :: Warner Bros.

05 :: ¥292.16 / $3.65 :: Battleship :: Apr. :: 237.87 :: 545 :: Toho-Towa

06 :: ¥277.13 / $3.63 :: In Time :: Feb. :: 203.05 :: 427 :: FOX

07 :: ¥230.89 / $2.98 :: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo :: Feb. :: 178.36 :: 431 :: Sony

08 :: ¥225.05 / $2.88 :: Real Steel :: Dec '10 :: 176.25 :: 531 :: Walt Disney

09 :: ¥219.51 / $2.83 :: The Adventures of Tintin :: Dec '10 :: 148.70 :: 895 :: Toho-Towa

Glow of Fireflies is the 26th film this year to open over 200 million yen.

[subscript]-KEY-

New Entry

Indicates a film still in release or being tracked.

Days in Release: TE (Tracking Ends, Awaiting OE/FT) / OE (Official Estimate) / FT (Final Total)[/subscript]

Edited June 13, 2012 by Corpse

[iceroll]

Great question, and I have a pretty long answer. There are a few reasons, but the main reason is marketing.A movie's promotion and distribution in Japan is often based on it's box office results in the U.S. and other markets first (mainly the U.S.). If a movie is released in the U.S. and performs very poorly (John Carter for example), distributors and producers then have time to abandon any investments they had planned for that film and recover as much money as they can with the delayed release in the market. And only after a film has proven to be a success will investments in promotion and distribution be made. This is very, very imported to distributors and producers and you very rarely see a Hollywood film be released in Japan before or at the same time as the U.S.(or international) release date. There are some exceptions, but they're usually big franchise films that have already proven themselves and are sure to be profitable. Even popular studios like Pixar and probable blockbusters aren't immune to receiving a delayed release (more recently Pixar films have been released a month or so after the U.S. release vs. half-a-year, though). Then you have "dead genres" like Imported animated features (Dreamworks, Bluesky, Sony Animation, etc), superhero/comic films, and comedy. Pretty much every film in those genres get released months and months (even up to a year or longer) after the U.S. release (sometimes they don't get released at all!) because there's so little appeal and demand for them in the Japanese market that investing in them is too costly.I also want to add that the average Japanese person goes to the theater once a year and will only go see a film they known they'll enjoy. This is definitely a key factor for distributors and producers in Japan. If distributors and producers sees a film in the U.S. receive poor reviews and perform poorly at the Box Office, they're not going to take the time and invest in that film's release. That's why there are so many manga, tv dramas/animes adaptations, etc. in the Top 10 every weekend, and why you see the same franchises like Doraemon, Pokemon, Kamen Rider, and many others with new films (sometimes more than one) released every year. Some of Japan's film franchises make James Bond look puny in comparison.

That's really interesting but kind of odd business sense to me. If they never take risks, they're potentially missing out on films that might surprise and make a lot of money. Also the culture in the US is really different from Japan so a film that does well domestically could do poorly in Japan or the opposite. All this waiting around is also dampening people's anticipation and I don't know if piracy's a big thing there but they probably lose some business there too.

[Corpse]

Delayed releases usually perform better than ones released at the same time as the U.S. or a few weeks after. A movies success in the U.S. helps build anticipation and maximizes distribution and promotions in the market, too. John Carter bombed after opening a few weeks after the U.S., and Battleship did far less than was expected opening weeks before the U.S. launch. Unless it's a major franchise release or features/stars proven directors/actors, almost every movie released around the same time as the U.S. release disappoints. It's interesting that you mention piracy. Piracy isn't a serious issue in Japan, and in fact, it's another reason why many Hollywood films receive a delayed release in Japan. That may sound bizarre, but movies released around the same time in the U.S. are more prone to piracy. It works the complete opposite as it does in China and other markets where piracy is a problem. The Japanese people choose which films they see wisely since going to the movies is more of an event than a hobby. If they're unsure if they want to pay to see a newly released film that has just opened in the U.S. or worldwide, many would be tempted to pirate the movie instead not knowing if it was well-received or not. That's where the delayed release becomes a positive for many movies box office prospects. If a movie did really well in the U.S., the Japanese are more likely to see it in theaters rather than online or a bootleg copy.

Edited June 13, 2012 by Corpse

[iceroll]

Haha wow Japan's movie market is pretty odd. Thanks for the insight.

[Corpse]

I included another paragraph to better explain it.

[iceroll]

I guess it makes sense, sort of. I can't think of another country with a culture where this type of releasing would work well though. Japan's a pretty unique and interesting place