BEIJING, Dec. 16 — Japanese movies are riding on a wave of popularity in China, despite Beijing’s restrictions on imported film.
Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which hit theaters in China in April, became the 10th-highest-grossing film of 2024.
Other popular Japanese movies include a Chinese remake and a past masterpiece.
Many Japanese films have become hits in China since 2023, when the country lifted its strict COVID-19 control measures.
Director Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume,” released in China in March 2023, marked a box office record for a Japanese anime film in the country.
Around 500,000 people flocked to theaters across China to catch a glimpse of the first screenings of “The First Slam Dunk” in April 2023.
Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece, which was released in China during a holiday period, grossed 791 million yuan. It became one of the only two non-Chinese films to end up in the top 10 list of box office hits this year, according to Chinese movie ticketing app Maoyan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been pushing for the spread of China-made movies to nurture patriotism and boost soft power. Imported foreign films have to secure a limited number of designated screening slots after undergoing censorship.
Chinese government data showed that the share of foreign films in annual box office revenues in China fell below 20 pct in 2020-2023, a stark contrast to pre-pandemic levels of around 40 pct.
The annual number of Japanese movies released in China has been below 10 in some recent years, according to the Beijing office of the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO.
Most of such Japanese movies are anime titles capable of making solid profits.
“We’d like Chinese people to see more live action films that better represents Japan,” a person familiar with Japan-China relations said.
This year’s No. 1 box office hit in China is likely to be a remake of “100 Yen Love,” a Japanese film featuring a female boxer that has resonated with women across generations in the country.
Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Like Father, Like Son” arrived at theaters in China on Dec. 6, 11 years after the movie was initially released in Japan.
Chinese state-run media described the film as a work focusing on emotional interactions between parents and children and delving into ethical issues. Many in China who saw the movie took to social media to say that they were emotionally moved.