Each January, the Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan holds a press conference to reveal the previous year’s box office data and its list of top-grossing films.
One year ago — at what was then thought to be the height of the coronavirus pandemic — the event was a somber gathering: Receipts for 2020 were down a whopping 38% over the year before.
On Jan. 25, the mood was a tad more upbeat with the announcement that the total for 2021 reached $1.42 billion, a figure still well below pre-pandemic levels but up 13% over 2020. Further boosting spirits was the strong performance of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and local animated feature “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” over the holidays.
“This year, the New Year’s box office got off to a good start,” said Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan chairman Yoshishige Shimatani. ”I think the movie industry is in for…
