Hi, this is Izumitani from Ehime Film Commission (Ehime FC).
The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan—which consists of Shochiku, Toho, Toei, and KADOKAWA-has just released the 2024 Japan Film Industry Statistics, covering all theatrical releases from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
A Record-Breaking Year for Domestic Films!
As a film commission, the box office performance of Japanese films catches our eye the most.
・Total domestic box office revenue in 2024 hit ¥155.8 billion, surpassing the previous record of ¥148.6 billion from 2016 (Your Name, Shin Godzilla, etc.) by about 5%!
・Foreign films grossed ¥51.1 billion, which was 69.8% of the previous year’s total.
・Total box office revenue (domestic + foreign films) was ¥206.98 billion, down 6.5% (¥14.4 billion decrease) from the previous year.
・The market share split:
Domestic films: 75.3% / Foreign films: 24.7%
How Many Films Were Box Office Hits?
In Japan, movies that gross over ¥10 billion are considered blockbusters.
・Foreign films: 10 hits (out of 505 releases).
・Domestic films: 31 hits (out of 685 releases), more than three times the number of foreign film hits!
That said, anime dominates once again. Of the 31 domestic films that surpassed ¥10 billion, 14 were anime. Looking at the Top 10, six were anime titles.
Biggest Box Office Hits of 2024
For the third year in a row (since 2022), multiple films have crossed the ¥10 billion mark, a first in Japanese film history.
#1: Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram – ¥15.8 billion
#2: Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle – ¥11.64 billion
To put this into perspective, a film needs over 10 million viewers to reach ¥10 billion in box office revenue. That means 1 in every 12 people in Japan watched these films! The fact that multiple films reached this level is pretty mind-blowing.
The Harsh Reality of Box Office Inequality
Despite these record-breaking numbers, the total box office revenue of the 31 films grossed over ¥10 billion was ¥105 billion.
Considering that the total domestic box office revenue was ¥155.8 billion, these 31 films accounted for 67% of all earnings.
That leaves ¥50.7 billion spread across 654 other domestic films, averaging just ¥77 million per film.
The growing divide: While some films break the ¥10 billion mark, many struggle to earn even ¥100 million.
Too Many Films, Too Few Viewers?
As I mentioned 2024, 685 Japanese and 505 foreign films were released, meaning 1.87 new films debuted daily.
As a film commission, we always hope the films we support reach as many viewers as possible. However, the widening gap between films watched and those not watched raises concerns about the future of Japan’s film industry.
What do you think about these trends? Let’s keep the discussion going!