Japanese films losing luster once again
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.
More than half of the top 10 grossing Japanese movies had TV networks as their main producer.
About 60 percent of moviegoers said that TV had helped decide their choice, according to one survey.
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