By Mark Schilling
Japan's arthouse audience is by far the largest in Asia, boosting what are considered art
films elsewhere profitably close to the mainstream. One well-known example is Lars Von
Trier's Dancer In the Dark, which grossed Y2.42 billion ($22.4 million) in Japan in 2001,
playing in theatres that normally screen Hollywood fare. Most of the country's arthouse
theatres, however, are found in Tokyo, with several in nearly every major entertainment
district. Audiences rang from teenage film nerds to the hordes of middle-aged women
who have fallen hard for Korean heartthrob Bae Yong and are flocking to Korean films,
arty or otherwise.
Eager to grab a share of the arthouse bonanza, dozens of boutique distributors have
entered the market in the past two decades, while larger players, such as Gaga, Nippon
Herald and Asmik Ace, compete to snap up the bigger arthouse titles.
"The rewards are there, but to really succeed, you have to make the film an event," says
an executive with leading indie Nippon Herald. "If you can persuade people that they
need to see a film or be left out of the conversation (with their friend and co-workers),
they'll go, even if the content is difficult." One recent example he cites is Herald's The
Passion of the Christ, which would have ordinarily been a hard sell in this non-Christian
country, but became a buzz film, mainly for the publicity its received for its
record-smashing US release, is expected to gross more than Y1.3 billion ($12.0 million).
"It's a film that blurs the boundary between art and entertainment," comments the exec.
"In Japan some people go to see it almost as they would a horror show."
True, the Japanese audience may like to move in groups, but getting it into theaters,
arthouse or no, can often be like herding fish. The number of films released is huge -- 622
in 2003 alone -- and the audience is fickle and overwhelmed with entertainment choices.
"It used to be easier to target the audience with a given message for a film," says Asmik
Ace marketing manager Kaori Ikeda. "Now the release cycle has become so quick, with
so many films coming out, that its harder to get their attention. Also, it's harder than ever
to know what the audience wants, especially in arthouse films. There's no one thing that
works consistently. Basically you have to go with quality and market it patiently and
persistently. Then you just might find an audience."
