Cinema 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.
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.
- 1/26/2022
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Another year, another bountiful crop of action filmmaking. The following article covers some of the best. Like with last year’s installment, the focus will be on action scenes—compact, heightened expressions of action filmmaking craft—rather than films as a whole, which means that some otherwise strong, action-adjacent pictures may be missing and a couple included films look fairly lackluster beyond their set pieces. For the sake of variety, I have limited myself to one scene per film, and all featured films made their official, non-festival, U.S. theatrical and/or streaming debut in 2021. The criterion of “official” excludes the Chinese direct-to-YouTube actioner One More Shot, which was removed after just a few days online. Whenever the film receives a more “legitimate” stateside debut, it will almost certainly be included in that year’s roundup. And now, to the action. The scenes have been organized into loose thematic...
- 1/6/2022
- MUBI
Probably one of the best years for action/martial arts cinema lately, 2021 saw a number of truly impressive titles coming out, as China’s blockbusters seem to be getting better, followed by the Korean ones, Japanese manga adaptations continue to be on a very high-level, at least production level-wise and Asean countries keep on producing some of the most interesting in the category through the combination of social commentary and exploitation elements. Furthermore, a number of movies that do not fall in any of the aforementioned groups but are of equal quality, rounded up a truly great year for Asian genre.
Without further ado, here are the best Asian martial arts/action films of 2021, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2019, but since they mostly circulated in 2021, we decided to include them.
15. Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (Keishi Ohtomo)
On the other hand, the action element is top notch,...
Without further ado, here are the best Asian martial arts/action films of 2021, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2019, but since they mostly circulated in 2021, we decided to include them.
15. Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (Keishi Ohtomo)
On the other hand, the action element is top notch,...
- 12/27/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Locally-made films, especially animated titles, dominated the Japanese box office in 2021. The territory is usually the world’s third biggest cinema market, behind China and North America.
Though official figures compiled by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren), will be not be announced until next month, numbers from the Pick Scene movie rankings and box office site show “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” as the year’s top earning film with a gross of $90 million following its March 8 release. A sci-fi anime written and directed by Anno Hideaki and produced by Anno’s Studio Khara, it is the fourth and final film in his “Rebuild of Evangelion” film series, which is part of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise.
All of the top-three earning films in Japan this year are animations, including number two “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” ($67.5 million), the latest iteration of the “Detective Conan” teen-detective mystery franchise.
Though official figures compiled by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren), will be not be announced until next month, numbers from the Pick Scene movie rankings and box office site show “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” as the year’s top earning film with a gross of $90 million following its March 8 release. A sci-fi anime written and directed by Anno Hideaki and produced by Anno’s Studio Khara, it is the fourth and final film in his “Rebuild of Evangelion” film series, which is part of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise.
All of the top-three earning films in Japan this year are animations, including number two “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” ($67.5 million), the latest iteration of the “Detective Conan” teen-detective mystery franchise.
- 12/23/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
The FX series adaptation of the James Clavell novel “Shōgun” has rounded out its main cast.
Anna Sawai has been cast in the lead role of Lady Mariko, joining previously announced leads Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada. In addition, the ensemble cast will now also include: Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, Tokuma Nishioka, Takehiro Hira, Ako, Shinnosuke Abe, Yasunari Takeshima, Hiroto Kanai, Toshi Toda, Hiro Kanagawa, Nestor Carbonell, Yuki Kura, Tommy Bastow, Moeka Hoshi, Yoriko Doguchi and Yuka Kouri.
Furthermore, Jonathan van Tulleken has come aboard to direct the first two episodes with production now underway in Vancouver. The show has received a 10-episode order at FX.
“Shōgun” is set in feudal Japan. It charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai. John Blackthorne (Jarvis), a risk-taking English pilot major ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him.
Anna Sawai has been cast in the lead role of Lady Mariko, joining previously announced leads Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada. In addition, the ensemble cast will now also include: Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, Tokuma Nishioka, Takehiro Hira, Ako, Shinnosuke Abe, Yasunari Takeshima, Hiroto Kanai, Toshi Toda, Hiro Kanagawa, Nestor Carbonell, Yuki Kura, Tommy Bastow, Moeka Hoshi, Yoriko Doguchi and Yuka Kouri.
Furthermore, Jonathan van Tulleken has come aboard to direct the first two episodes with production now underway in Vancouver. The show has received a 10-episode order at FX.
“Shōgun” is set in feudal Japan. It charts the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai. John Blackthorne (Jarvis), a risk-taking English pilot major ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him.
- 9/30/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Andy Cheng has earned tremendous kudos as the fight choreographer of the bus scene in Marvel’s recent “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” The scene took nearly a year to plan and execute, and serves to demonstrate Simu Liu’s previously-hidden skills to an open-mouthed Awkwafina, and has since been released by Marvel as a standalone YouTube clip.
Cheng is now hard at work trying to shape the next Asian superhero as action director, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer on “Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya,” a live action adaptation of hit Japanese animated property “Saint Seiya.” The film wrapped up shooting last week in Budapest, Hungary.
“We don’t have the same amount of time or available budget as on ‘Shang Chi.’ But the goal is absolutely the same,” Cheng told Variety. “To craft something very unique that is rooted in Asian culture and has universal appeal.
Cheng is now hard at work trying to shape the next Asian superhero as action director, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer on “Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya,” a live action adaptation of hit Japanese animated property “Saint Seiya.” The film wrapped up shooting last week in Budapest, Hungary.
“We don’t have the same amount of time or available budget as on ‘Shang Chi.’ But the goal is absolutely the same,” Cheng told Variety. “To craft something very unique that is rooted in Asian culture and has universal appeal.
- 9/30/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese rock band One Ok Rock was about to embark on a world tour when Covid-19 hit. With the entertainment industry under threat of survival, the band decided to live stream their ‘Field of Wonder’ concert that was viewed simultaneously by 110,000 fans worldwide. This documentary reveals the story behind the massive live stream, through three months of intimate footage in the lead up to the show on October 11, 2020 as well as personal interviews that unravel the history of the members of One Ok Rock and why they came up with this idea.
One Ok Rock’s members are Moriuchi Takahiro, Yamashita Toru, Kohama Ryota and Kanki Tomoya. The band was formed in 2005 and debuted in 2007. Their songs have been featured in all five Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies, including latest theme songs Renegades (Rurouni Kenshin: The Final) and Broken Heart of Gold (Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning).
Launch date: October 21, 2021 exclusively on Netflix.
One Ok Rock’s members are Moriuchi Takahiro, Yamashita Toru, Kohama Ryota and Kanki Tomoya. The band was formed in 2005 and debuted in 2007. Their songs have been featured in all five Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies, including latest theme songs Renegades (Rurouni Kenshin: The Final) and Broken Heart of Gold (Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning).
Launch date: October 21, 2021 exclusively on Netflix.
- 9/24/2021
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
At a time when viewers around the world remain wary of returning to cinemas, the Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff) once again can’t keep up with local audiences. Demand is so high that viewers are paying enormous sums to get hold of scalped tickets, including more than $300 to see an art house film released more than two decades ago.
The festival sparks an annual online crush as film lovers vie Black Friday-style for its limited tickets the moment they’re released for sale. Siff sold nearly 150,000 tickets within five minutes on the first day of sales in 2019, and more than 100,000 tickets in ten minutes last year, despite occurring as an in-person event just weeks after cinemas reopened for the first time post-covid-19.
With theater capacity still capped at 75%, the event’s 2021 iteration set to run from June 11-20 has proved just as popular, despite the full line-up being announced...
The festival sparks an annual online crush as film lovers vie Black Friday-style for its limited tickets the moment they’re released for sale. Siff sold nearly 150,000 tickets within five minutes on the first day of sales in 2019, and more than 100,000 tickets in ten minutes last year, despite occurring as an in-person event just weeks after cinemas reopened for the first time post-covid-19.
With theater capacity still capped at 75%, the event’s 2021 iteration set to run from June 11-20 has proved just as popular, despite the full line-up being announced...
- 6/8/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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