Those like me who live in Japan will have to wait until August at the earliest to see any of the above movies on the big screen. And a wait of two-three months is, by Japanese standards, comparatively brief! Upcoming cinema releases here include the critically acclaimed George Clooney drama "The Descendants," Woody Allen's quirky comedy "Midnight in Paris" and the welcome return of "The Muppets," all of which were released almost everywhere else last year!
Tom Cruise signs for fans at the Mi4 premiere
Such delays aren't the case for every foreign movie release here, as blockbuster franchises such as "Transformers" or "Mission Impossible" tend to be largely immune. However, if you fancy watching a movie with quality acting and plot, rather than just explosions and CGI, you're likely going to need bags of patience.
So what could be the reason behind this tardiness? When I first lived in Japan back in the 90s, I mainly put it down to being a language issue, resulting from the time needed to translate subtitles for example, and I also assumed that it was not something limited to Japan. Now though, having spent time in other countries around eastern Asia, like Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia, and seen how many Western movie releases there manage to keep pace with the US and elsewhere, I'm convinced that there must be other factors at work.
Probably the major aspect that separates Japan from the above countries is the relative strength of its domestic movie industry. This is evident in the fact that 10 of the top 20 highest grossing movies in Japan last year were home-made (http://boxofficemojo.com/intl/japan/yearly/?yr=2011&p=.htm). The quantity and quality of Japanese movies has undoubtedly risen in recent years, contributing to a situation where much of the population is simply not particularly interested in watching a foreign release in the cinema unless it's part of a blockbusting franchise or features a major star. Of course, it's great that Japan has a thriving movie industry, and long may this continue. However, this should not be a sufficient reason for releases of so many quality Western movies being treated like some kind of afterthought. In Hong Kong, for example, where the domestic movie industry is even more prolific and dominant, you'd still be able to go and see a comparatively highbrow movie like, say, Oscar winner "The Artist" (which, incidentally, came out here this April, five months after the US) just as promptly as trashy popcorn fodder like "Transformers."
The Artist - only 5 months late arriving in Japan
To further explain the situation, it's necessary to consider the nature of movie-going culture in Japan, specifically how movies are marketed to the general public. I get the sense that the idea of the movie as a marketing "event" is stronger here than anywhere else I've been. This is embodied by the opening press conferences, which for many star vehicles typically involve the lead actor(s) being interviewed by and posing for photographs with a random local celebrity. In order for this preferred scenario to happen though, the actor(s) need to actually make it out to Japan, which in a lot of cases isn't possible for a few months. Whereas elsewhere in Asia the movie would get released on time anyway, apparently the powers that be in Japan aren't prepared to put out such movies without some kind of attention-seeking fanfare. The mentality of those who distribute foreign movies here appears fundamentally conservative and petrified of taking risks - rather than release a movie to sink or swim on its own merits, it's better to wait a few months so you can stick a "US Number 1" or "Academy Award Winner" blurb on the poster to ensure larger audiences. While this may make sense from a marketing perspective, it's hard to escape the feeling that the Japanese movie-going public are losing out.
I'd like to say there's a prospect of the situation changing sometime soon, but to be honest I can't see it happening. In the meantime, there's always illegal downloading to fall back on!
