JAPAN 2011 BACK IN BUSINESS


Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya crossing switched off its neon lights as part of the country’s post-disaster move to save energy


With the country still reeling from the worst natural disaster in its history, Screen’s Tokyo-based correspondent Jason Gray takes stock of how the territory’s film industry has been affected — and how it is recovering


been greater than any event since the Second World War. At the time of writ- ing in mid-April, there were close to 14,000 confirmed dead, more than 14,000 missing and 136,000 people in shelters across 18 prefectures. Recovery costs have been estimated as high as $300bn. The effects have been felt across all industries, and the film busi- ness is no exception. On the exhibition frontlines in east-


ern Japan, closures have affected most of the major chains: Toho Cinemas, Warner-Mycal, 109 Cinemas and Movix (Shochiku), as well as independents. Despite gradually re-opening following


n 2 Screen International May 2011


Japan rebuilds T


he impact on Japan of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and subse- quent nuclear reactor disaster has


‘I believe the motivation to go and see films is


getting stronger’ Yuka Hoshino, Gaga


safety checks and repairs, as of mid- April there were 17 multiplexes (136 screens) closed indefinitely, with another nine scheduled to re-open in late April or May. Box office naturally suffered a sharp


decline in the first week after the disas- ter, as the nation watched the scope of the catastrophe unfold on television and those in the Kanto and Tohoku regions braced for aftershocks and radi- ation fears, which continued in the weeks after the earthquake. Toho Cinemas, Japan’s largest exhibi-


tor, reported a drop in March earnings of approximately 13% year on year in what is traditionally a robust period. Exhibitors and distributors were con- cerned about the usually lucrative


Golden Week period, which runs from the end of April to early May. Further- more, a spike in electricity usage in the summer may see a return of rolling blackouts in Kanto, further hampering operations. Nevertheless, certain Hollywood and


local releases are still proving success- ful. The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voy- age Of The Dawn Treader, the latest Doraemon title, SP: The Motion Picture and Tangled are all close to or above $30m in earnings (the first two titles opened before the disaster, the last two after). Most distributors stuck to their


planned March and April slates but sev- eral major spring releases with poten- tially upsetting visuals or themes were


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