The Real Best of 2006

[Mark Nornes]

Since people are posting their best/worth lists of 2006, I thought  
I'd add some more data to the mix. As Aaron always points out, these  
lists are mostly interesting as representations of a given  
publication's collective take on the state of Japanese cinema (or an  
individual's, should you wade into the numbers). But a more crucial  
data set comes out of the industry, and 2006 proved to be a  
significant year—statistically speaking.

In the Dec. 28 Variety, Mark reported that the market share for  
domestic films was expected to hit the 50% mark for the first time  
since 1985, and production may have exceeded 400 titles for the first  
time since 1973. He adds,

> Although no Japanese film has crossed the Y10 billion ($88.6  
> million) line this year, the number of titles grossing Y5 billion  
> ($26 million) or more -- the local measure of a blockbuster -- has  
> hit six, an all-time high.
>
> As a result, total B.O. for the year is expected to surpass last  
> year's $1.71 billion.
To give you a sense for how significant these numbers are in the  
global scheme of things, German B.O. for last year was a bit over  
$706 milliion; that is for a year of double digit growth, thanks to  
some domestic hits.

By way of contrast, Japan doesn't look as impressive next to South  
Korea. After a decade of growth, South Korea has cracked the $1  
billion mark in total B.O., and domestic films pulled in 61% of the  
grosses (in comparison to 34% for U.S. films).

The numbers, at least, bode well for the 2007 film season.

Markus






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