[KineJapan] The marketshare of Japanese films in Japan

[Eija Niskanen]

In Finland the major Hollywood hits (Marvel comic based and similar) open
the same weekend than in the U.S. - actually we see them earlier, because
of the time difference :D. The distribution companies have to release them
fast, as otherwise people would maybe download them, but also because, the
audience and media (film journals, blogs, etc.) follow closely what is
going on in the U.S. I just don't t get the feeling that Japanese are as
keenly following news on the U.S. releases. Mid-range films (Academy Award
nominees) open latest around the Awards time, meaning winter/spring, as
that is when you can ride with the Oscars buzz to get the audience
interested.
Maybe the role of film festivals is also different. In Europe festivals are
used as a premiere screening venue - meaning you get the film, perhaps
someone involved in making it, media attention - meaning better put the
film in the theaters within a few months if you want to use the festival
attention. I think the case is same in all the Nordic countries. In Japan
festivals do not have a similar role.
Eija


2013/11/18 Alex Zahlten <Alex.Zahlten at gmx.de>

> Good points, Mark. To the clogged distribution pipeline I would add
> another reason for the time lag for theatrical releases in Japan: Because
> they can. Japan has been probably the most successful country in the world
> in keeping online piracy (fairly) under control. This means there is much
> less pressure for a day-and-date release that is synchronized with the rest
> of the world. Compare this with South Korea, where US films have to come
> out very soon after the US release date simply because if they don't
> everyone will already have seen the film online / downloaded it.
>
> Best,
> Alex
>
> *Gesendet:* Sonntag, 17. November 2013 um 21:19 Uhr
> *Von:* "Mark Roberts" <mroberts37 at mail-central.com>
> *An:* "Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum" <
> kinejapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
> *Betreff:* Re: [KineJapan] The marketshare of Japanese films in Japan
>  So, a follow-up question would be: since Eiren is padding the numbers,
> which sources give a better breakdown of *jishu eiga*, *pinku*, anime,
> ODS, etc.? The Japanese Film Database has some of this information, but not
> all.
>
> As for foreign films coming to Japan late, I have seen this again and
> again. For international distribution, Japan is very often dead last in the
> entire world.
>
> My hypothesis is that there are at least two things going on here.
>
> First, I suspect that foreign films "arrive" late in Japan because the
> major distribution companies are giving priority to their stuff, and there
> are not enough independent companies to pick up the slack. I have heard
> people in distribution companies say that a major foreign film was bought
> at Cannes, almost two years before it opened in Tokyo. The second factor is
> simply that the general public are not very engaged in new films. I don't
> have the impression that large numbers of people are accessing films via
> the Internet. That kind of culture seems more marginal here. Rather, people
> are just not watching them at all. Frequentation statistics in theaters
> would seem to bear this out.
>
> Simply put, compared to the US, the UK, France, South Korea and Hong Kong,
> cinema just isn't very important in Japan today.
>
> M.
>
> On Nov 18, 2013, at 10:05 AM, Gregory Johnson wrote:
>
>
> This is just a guess for which I have no proof, but I wonder if the extent
> to which Japanese are watching foreign films without going through the box
> office is rising. It takes a while for foreign films to get to theaters in
> Japan. Many times I've already seen something on an international flight
> before it appears here. And despite various barriers, people often can
> access them on the internet before they officially arrive. Are there any
> grounds for this idea?
>
> Greg Johnson
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