Can Japan’s Exhibitors Keep Box Office Momentum Strong?

variety.com:

Brett Bull Each January, the Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan holds a press conference to reveal the previous year’s box office data and its list of top-grossing films.One year ago — at what was then thought to be the height of the coronavirus pandemic — the event was a somber gathering: Receipts for 2020 were down a whopping 38% over the year before.On Jan.

25, the mood was a tad more upbeat with the announcement that the total for 2021 reached $1.42 billion, a figure still well below pre-pandemic levels but up 13% over 2020.

Further boosting spirits was the strong performance of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and local animated feature “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” over the holidays. “This year, the New Year’s box office got off to a good start,” said Motion Picture Producers Assn.

of Japan chairman Yoshishige Shimatani. ”I think the movie industry is in for something of a vintage year.”The chairman’s prognostication could be a tad optimistic given the pandemic is ongoing but for now exhibitors are leaning on local productions while the fortunes of Hollywood films remain up in the air.Shimatani is also the president of Toho Co., the entertainment giant that not only exhibits films but also distributes them.