Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentLeading Japanese entertainment firms Toho, Toei, Studio Khara and Tsuburaya Productions are joining forces to launch the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, a project modeled on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shin Japan Heroes brings together such iconic characters as Godzilla, Ultraman and Kamen Rider, as well as the world of anime maestro Anno Hideaki’s Evangelion sci-fi franchise.Details in Monday’s announcement were scanty, but the project team has revealed an emblem and visual showing all four “heroes” together, as well as a website.A starting point for the project was “Shin Godzilla” (translation: “New Godzilla”), the 2016 smash hit live-action film that Anno scripted and co-directed. It was followed by last year’s hit anime “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” which was also directed by Anno for his Studio Khara anime house as the fourth and final film in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” film franchise.
Japan Box Office Makes Small 2021 Recovery, Puts ‘Evangelion’ and Toho on Top
26.01.2022 - 08:39 / variety.com
Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentCinema admissions in Japan increased by 8% over 2020, to 115 million. Box office grosses improved by 13% to $1.42 billion in the same period, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren).But compared to earnings of $2.29 billion on admissions of 195 million in the pre-pandemic era, last year was still way behind.
In 2021, attendance was 41% below 2019 levels. Gross box office was 38% down.Local films, with earnings of $1.13 billion, grabbed a 79% market share, compared with 76% in 2020.
They accounted for nine of the top ten box office titles for the year. Number one was “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” a sci-fi anime film written and directed by Anno Hideaki, that made $90 million following its March 2021 bow.
The highest ranking live-action film, at number four with $40 million , was “Arashi Anniversary Tour 5×20 FILM “Record of Memories,” a concert film of the boy band Arashi, which retired at the end of 2020 after a county-wide concert tour.The only non-Japanese entry in the top ten was “F9: The Fast Saga,” which earned $32 million after bowing August of last year.Once again, Toho was the top distributor with five films in the top ten, including “Evangelion,” which it co-released with Toei and Anno’s Studio Khara animation house. The leading foreign distributor was Warner, which handled number five “Tokyo Revengers” ($39.5 million) and number six “Rurouni Kenshin The Final” ($38 million), both local productions.Some 37 films exceeded the JPY1 billion ($8.8 million) mark considered the traditional benchmark for a commercial hit in Japan.
Tom Holland’s ‘Uncharted’ Kicks Off at International Box Office With $21.5 Million
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMere months after Tom Holland ignited box office charts with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the 25-year-old British actor is swinging back to movie theater marquees with “Uncharted.”Ahead of its domestic debut on Feb. 18, Sony’s big-screen adaptation of its popular video game series opened at the international box office to a solid $21.5 million from 15 overseas markets.“Uncharted” had the biggest start in the United Kingdom, landing in first place with $6.4 million.
‘Uncharted’ Hits Early Offshore Waters With $22M; ‘Death On The Nile’ Cruises To $21M Overseas Bow; ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Tops $1.8B WW – International Box Office
Refresh for latest…: Hitting 15 offshore markets ahead of its domestic debut and further overseas expansion next weekend, Sony’s Uncharted mapped out an international box office launch of $21.5M. The Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer was No. 1 in each of its openings, taking advantage of school holidays in some markets and, of course, the Spider-Man Holland halo.
Can Japan’s Exhibitors Keep Box Office Momentum Strong?
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.
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Japan Celebrates Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Four ‘Drive My Car’ Oscar Nominations
Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentThe Oscar nominations for “Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour drama about a man dealing with the death of his wife, have thrilled the director’s native Japan.News of the four Academy Awards nominations was reported by all major Japanese media, from the most serious Nikkei business daily to the sports tabloids whose usual coverage of local art films is zero.The news also lit up Twitter.“An Academy Award nomination for Best Picture is a great accomplishment. I think the melding between Haruki Murakami and Chekhov has created a universality that can be felt around the world,” said Twitter user YasioE.“I really want it to win the Best Picture award, don’t you? Judging from the state of the awards race, I think it can win it.
‘Yanagawa,’ ‘Aloners’ Win Top Prizes at Vesoul Asian Film Festival
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Oscars: ’Drive My Car’ Makes History As First Japanese Film Nominated For Best Picture
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car made history this morning, becoming the first Japanese film ever to score an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. What’s more, Hamaguchi is now only the third Japanese filmmaker to be nominated in the Best Director category. With nods in further key categories Best International Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay, Drive My Car has four nominations total, tying Akira Kurosawa’s Ran as the most-nominated film ever from Japan (though the latter was a French co-production).
‘Flee’ Makes Oscars History With Nominations For Best Animated, Documentary & International Feature
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‘The Conference’ Sells to North America, Japan, Australia, Italy
Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGlobal Screen has closed a raft of sales for “The Conference,” a historically accurate drama about the Wannsee Conference in Berlin, a meeting that had only one item on the agenda: the organization of the systematic mass murder of 11 million European Jews. The film has been acquired by Menemsha Films (North America), Pivot Pictures (Australia), The Klockworx (Japan), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), RAI (Italy), Flins & Piniculas (Spain), Films 4 You (Portugal), Arti Film (Benelux), Edge Entertainment (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Baltics), ITI Neovision (Poland), RTV (Slovenia), Italian-speaking Switzerland (RSI) and Red Cape (Israel).
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German Box Office Champion ‘School of Magical Animals’ Sells to China, Japan, Latin America (EXCLUSIVE)
Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMunich-based world sales company Global Screen has closed further deals in major territories for the family entertainment adventure “School of Magical Animals,” the most successful German film at the local box office last year. Global Screen will also be selling the sequel, it announced Tuesday.Deals have been closed for China (A-Quest Culture Media), Japan (Fine Films), Latin America (Discovery), Hungary (ADS), Serbia and Croatia (Investacommerce), and Portugal (NOS).
Arthouse Weathers Storm As ‘Clean,’ ‘Sundown’ Join ‘Belfast,’ ‘Drive My Car’; Distribs See Scramble For Screens After Oscar Nods – Specialty Box Office
Cinemas from Philly to New York State and Boston (Coolidge Corner Theatre, you were missed) shuttered all or part of Sat., rattling but not routing the specialty box office. And a shout-out to theaters in NYC proper where all stayed open – sparse by day but picking up in the evening thanks to “younger people not afraid to trudge in the show,” said one distributor.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Swings Past $1B Overseas; Global Now $1.74B – International Box Office
Refresh for latest…: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home scaled fresh heights this session as it reached an amazing new milestone by crossing the $1B mark at the international box office. The offshore cume through Sunday is an estimated $1.003B for a global total of $1.74B.
‘Paw Patrol: The Movie’ Collars Milestone As Pups Pass $100M At International Box Office
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![‘blood’ Review: Carla Juri & Takeshi Ueno Carry A Meandering Drama Of Small Gestures [Sundance] - theplaylist.net - Britain - Japan - county Gray](https://popstar.one/storage/thumbs_400/img/2022/1/26/1018723_ttg0j.jpg "‘blood’ Review: Carla Juri & Takeshi Ueno Carry A Meandering Drama Of Small Gestures [Sundance] - theplaylist.net - Britain - Japan - county Gray")
‘blood’ Review: Carla Juri & Takeshi Ueno Carry A Meandering Drama Of Small Gestures [Sundance]
If two people who lack a common language want to communicate, they’ll find a way to communicate. The characters in “blood,” the first new film from Bradley Rust Gray in a decade, don’t exactly lack a common language, but coltish English and crummy Japanese necessitate auxiliary tools for communication, such as food, dance, music, flowers, and art.
Will Japan’s ‘Drive My Car’ Steer Its Way to a Best Picture Nomination?
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