Japanese films losing luster once again 02/02/2008 BY KATSUHISA SAITO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN In 2006, for the first time in 21 years, Japanese movies generated more revenue than foreign films released in this country. But this was short-lived. A survey by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc. of 2007 ticket sales, released Thursday, shows that foreign movies accounted for 52.3 percent of combined box office revenue. The survey also showed that the domestic movie industry relied heavily on tie-ups with TV networks. The highest-grossing film of 2007 was "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" with 10.9 billion yen. Meanwhile, "HERO" brought in the most box office revenue for a Japanese movie with 8.15 billion yen. The film, starring popular actor Takuya Kimura, ranked third overall. Combined box office revenue for both foreign and Japanese movies stood at about 198.4 billion yen, down 2.2 percent from 2006. Overall ticket sales for Japanese movies came to about 94.6 billion yen, down 12.3 percent. Toho Co., one of Japan's big three movie studios, was involved in producing or distributing all top 10 grossing Japanese movies. Famous for making "Godzilla" movies, Toho has mainly focused on production and distribution for the last 30 years. More than half of the top 10 grossing Japanese movies had TV networks as their main producer. "HERO," "Saiyuki," and "Unfair the Movie," are all adaptations of popular TV dramas broadcast by Fuji Television Network Inc. and its affiliates. Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. was a major producer in two of the list's movies, while Nippon Television Network Corp. co-produced two. Half of the 26 movies in which Toho was involved had TV networks as main producers. Compared with its rivals Shochiku Co. and Toei Co., Toho's connection with TV networks stands out. Only three of Shochiku's 27 movies were collaborations with broadcasters. Toei had none in its 16 works last year. Toho's outstanding record in 2007 is attributed to its collaborations with Fuji TV, Nippon TV and TBS, all known for producing or making popular TV dramas. Links with TV networks are also advantageous as they rerun original broadcast versions and give exposure to adaptations ahead of release. About 60 percent of moviegoers said that TV had helped decide their choice, according to one survey. Some are concerned about the effect of such close collaborations. Hiroshi Sashida, editor of Bunka Tsushin Journal, a magazine covering the entertainment industry, said, "If the other two studios stop putting emphasis on making Japanese films of their own, Japanese movie culture could decline." (IHT/Asahi: February 2,2008) http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200802020081.html 注: Toho - 東宝，Shochiku - 松竹，Toei - 東映 --

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