Photo/Illutration “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” was the top-grossing Japanese film in 2021. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Box office takings in Japan in 2021 recovered slightly but still plunged to their second-lowest level in two decades as moviegoers shunned theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc. (MPPAJ) announced.

It said the revenue came to 161.893 billion yen ($1.4 billion). Box office earnings hit their lowest level in 2020 since 2000 when comparable figures started being kept.

Moviegoers in Japan in 2021 numbered approximately 114.818 million, also the second-lowest figure, and only above that of 2020 when it hit an all-time low based on records kept since 1955.

While anime movies and other Japanese films are beginning to win back audiences, entertainment blockbusters of foreign countries are generally still kept from being released in Japan. Foreign films earned less than 30 percent of what they did in 2019.

The average admission fee was 1,410 yen, up by 60 yen from the previous year.

“In addition to an increasing number of audience members who paid higher fees for IMAX theaters and other services, it is probably also because seniors and families eligible for discounts refrained from going to movies,” said Yoshishige Shimatani, president of Toho Co. who also serves as chairman of the MPPAJ, which is comprised of four major film companies.

2021 BOX OFFICE RANKINGS

Japanese films

1  “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” (10.28 billion yen)

2  “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” (7.65 billion yen)

3  “Belle” (6.6 billion yen)

4  “Arashi Anniversary Tour 5x20 Film ‘Record of Memories’” (4.55 billion yen)

5  “Tokyo Revengers” (4.5 billion yen)

Foreign films

1  “F9: The Fast Saga” (3.67 billion yen)

2  “No Time to Die” (2.72 billion yen)

3  “Godzilla vs. Kong” (1.9 billion yen)

4  “Monster Hunter” (1.25 billion yen)

5  “Eternals” (1.2 billion yen)

(Source: Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Inc.)

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