[KineJapan] 109 Cinemas Premium

Sun Dec 17 10:50:12 EST 2023

109’s prices are only ¥500 more than Toho’s premium tickets. The standard
tickets for 特別料金 screenings at Toho Cinemas are ¥3000 but the center of the
theater seats are +¥3000 for a “Premier Luxury Seat” or +¥1000 for a
“Premier Box Seat,” so if you want to see Beyoncé’s Renaissance or Taylor
Swift’s Eras Tour this week, there are ¥4000 and ¥6000 tickets for those
screenings. Granted, it’s not the entire theater, but this pricing has been
here for a while now. IMAX pricing in NYC ($27) is in the same ballpark. No
popcorn included.

On Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 23:42 Thomas Ball via KineJapan <
kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:

> 4,500 yen is about $31USD.
>
> As points of comparison...
>
> Prices vary throughout NYC but Midtown Manhattan movie theater adult
> tickets are about $20...add in concessions and the total can easily soar
> north of $30 pp with no additional amenities.
>
> A recent experience in an upscale Bangkok theater ran to $60USD pp
> including all of the Tokyo amenities and then some.
>
>
>
> On Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 08:29:09 AM EST, Markus Nornes via
> KineJapan <kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:
>
>
> They are currently showing the new Godzilla film. Thanks to projects like
> this building, a couple of new hotels catering to tourists, and the Toho
> building/theater next-door, Shinjuku is starting to feel like a shiny
> Shibuya wrapped around a seedy Kabukicho. So at least one or two screenings
> a day are showing in Godzilla with English subtitles. I was struck out how
> many foreigners were at the theater. One other guy and I were there for
> Scorsese, and everyone else was there for Godzilla.
>
> Markus
>
> ---
>
> *Markus Nornes*
> *Professor of Asian Cinema*
>
> Department of Film, Television and Media, Department of Asian Languages
> and Cultures, Penny Stamps School of Art & Design
>
>
>
>
> *Homepage: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-personal.umich.edu%2F~nornes%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckinejapan%40mailman.yale.edu%7Cb2715830be694a1e0b0c08dbff17e287%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638384250275945175%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=H6rMoxjRU4ic0VEGroZrxgUmdHQ6MJ8gnY2Xk%2F4r4lE%3D&reserved=0
> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-personal.umich.edu%2F~nornes%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckinejapan%40mailman.yale.edu%7Cb2715830be694a1e0b0c08dbff17e287%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638384250275945175%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=H6rMoxjRU4ic0VEGroZrxgUmdHQ6MJ8gnY2Xk%2F4r4lE%3D&reserved=0>*
> *Department of Film, Television and Media*
> *6348 North Quad*
> *105 S. State Street**Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285*
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 10:18 PM Earl Jackson via KineJapan <
> kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:
>
> Dear Markus,
> Thank you for the report on this cinema. Sounds like a great way to see
> Godzilla Minus One.
> Best wishes,
> ej
> Earl Jackson
> Chair Professor
> Foreign Languages and Literatures
> Asia University
> Professor Emeritus
> National Chiao Tung University
> Associate Professor Emeritus
> University of California, Santa Cruz
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 7:08 PM Markus Nornes via KineJapan <
> kinejapan at mailman.yale.edu> wrote:
>
> Yesterday, I went out to catch Killers of the Flower Moon before it
> disappeared from theaters. A quick search revealed a well-timed show at the
> new 109 Cinemas Premium. This is in the new Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, the odd
> new sky scraper in the heart of Kabukicho that looks like it has frosty
> spikes midway and up tip top.
>
> This sits on the footprint of the old Milano Theater. This was one of the
> grand theaters of postwar Tokyo. With 1,500 seats, it was a great place to
> watch films. People still talk about their swan song in 2014, when they
> showed all their biggest hits over the years on 35mm. The building went
> down shortly after that.
>
> The new theaters are on the 9th and 10th floors. I worried upon arrival,
> as the first few floors are a very strange restaurant with a DJ playing
> anime tunes, and a very noisy game center. Thankfully, the chaos recedes
> when you go upward. The surprisingly small lobby has  stunning views of
> West Shinjuku, a staff desk and kiosks. Huh.
>
> I pull up to a kiosk, select the film, then my seat, and then the bill
> comes up: ¥4,500! I actually asked the desk attendant if that was for real.
> He smiled and affirmed the price. This was probably my last chance to see
> the Scorsese on a decent screen, and I was curious what this pricepoint was
> all about. So I hit the buy button and entered.
>
> It was interesting.
>
> Low lighting. High end seating. Stunning views of Kabukicho, the Toho
> Godzilla down below. It's an attempt at making the architectural space a
> big part of the movie-going experience, not unlike the strategy behind the
> silent era movie palaces. In interior corners of both floors, there are
> spaces with completely different interior designs that evoke different
> eras.
>
> The million dollar view isn't worth the price of the ticket, but then I
> discovered another part of the strategy. Popcorn and non-alcoholic drinks
> are free and tabehodai. There's also a bar with beer, wine, whiskeys and
> some mixed drinks, but those cost.
>
> Over at one of the entrances, I noticed they were playing Merry Christmas
> Mr. Lawrence. As I approached, I saw that it's a 35mm screening room, and
> they'll be showing films on 35 into the future. (A sign outside warns
> people that analog prints sometimes have scratches.)
>
> The theater itself has steep seating and wide reclining seats, each with a
> little table space next to the arm rest. There's a special trailer on the
> sound system, which they claim is the best set-up in Japan. It was
> "installed and checked" by Sakamoto Ryuichi, who gives a speech in the
> sound system trailer. They are selling a lot of Sakamoto goods in the gift
> shop, including LPs and programs from all the films he scored. The sound
> was, indeed, good.
>
> All in all, a wonderful, overpriced theater. Not sure I'll go again,
> unless I really feel like gorging out on the popcorn.
>
> The theater also had a strip of seats that were even wider, with wood
> cube-like enclosures to separate you from the people next to you. I asked
> about these on my way out. They're ¥6,500 (!). But after the film, you can
> move to an incredibly cush lounge with city views. The first drink is free
> and the lounge is open until 3:00am.
>
> I wonder if this will work?
>
> BTW, the film was great. But I was annoyed at the subtitles. They pulled
> punches around issues of race. For example, Scorsese's references to
> anti-Semitism were all erased by substituting 奴 for "Jew."
> Considering what's going on in the world today, I thought this was really
> unfortunate and obnoxious.
>
> Markus
>
>
>
>
>
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