2018 WAS A BIG YEAR FOR JAPAN BOX OFFICE DESPITE DROPPING BY 3%
Cinema box office in Japan dropped by 3% last year to $2.04 billion. But 2018 was still the third-highest year on record.
According to data published by the Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan (Eiren), Japanese-produced films earned $1.12 billion, down 2.8% from 2017.
They still grabbed a majority of the market for the 11th year in a row, with a 55% share. Admissions for the year totaled 169.2 million, also down 3%.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was the top film of the year, with earnings of $95 million. Released in Japan by 20th Century Fox on Nov. 9, the Freddie Mercury biopic had recorded 7.27 million admissions by its 75th day in the theaters. In a highly unusual trend, the film increased its weekly score five weeks in a row from its opening.
The biggest local hit, with $85 million, was “Code Blue the Movie,” a thriller about a helicopter medical rescue team based on a popular Fuji TV series. Ranking at No. 2 with $81 million was “Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer,” the 22nd installment in an anime feature series about a teenage detective trapped in a boy’s body. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” was the second-highest-earning foreign film and fourth overall, with $74 million.
Thirty-one Japanese films made JPY1 billion ($9.15 million) or more, considered the mark of a hit. The corresponding figure for foreign films was 23. The number of local films released was 613. There were 579 foreign titles released, for a total of 1,192. It was the sixth year in a row that annual releases exceeded 1,000.
More Stories
NOLLYWOOD LEGEND: DEJUMO LEWIS FINALLY LAID TO REST IN LAGOS
By Aishat Momoh. O. Legendary Nollywood actor and Kabiyesi of Village Headmaster Television series, Dejumo Vincent Lewis, has been finally...
LAGOS STATE GOVT TO PROSECUTE SKIT, FILMMAKERS OVER UNAUTHORIZED USE OF LASTMA UNIFORM, KITS
...... Warns Offenders The management of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has declared the use of its uniforms,...
VETERAN NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS, CYNTHIA OKEREKE IS DEAD
By Adeniyi Paul Cynthia Okereke, a veteran Nollywood actress has died. Her death was confirmed on Wednesday by...
JOKE SILVA HONORS HUSBAND OLU JACOBS AS HE CLOCKS 81-YEAR-OLD
By Adeniyi Onaara Today, her'showboy' is a year older. Today, July 11, 2023, is the talented actor Olu Jacobs' 81st...
TRINITY GUY TO REMAIN IN PRISON DUE TO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A YOUNG GIRL IN A SKIT
By Adeniyi Onaara The victim's parents allegedly plotted against the Skit maker according to reports On Tuesday, July 11, 2023,...
TOYIN ABRAHAM: “SOMETIMES YOU USE A FOOL’S FOOLISHNESS TO SELL YOUR MARKET”
By Adeniyi Onaara Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi, a popular actress, has advised using 'a fool's folly' to promote one's business. The film...