TOKYO - The film 'Kokuhou,' which swept 10 categories at this year's Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony in March, has become one of Japan's biggest box office successes in decades, helping fuel record profits at major distributor and production company Toho.
The movie, which portrays the world of traditional kabuki theater and the lives of its actors, surpassed 20 billion yen in box office revenue, an extraordinary achievement in Japan where domestic films are generally considered hits once they exceed 1 billion yen. The success also marked the first time in 22 years that a Japanese film broke the nation's long-standing domestic box office record.
The distributor behind the blockbuster is Toho, the company famous for creating Godzilla.
Toho dominated the Japanese box office last year, distributing eight of the top 10 highest-grossing films, including the year's top-performing title 'Demon Slayer' as well as 'Kokuhou,' placing the company in a virtually unrivaled position within the industry.
For the fiscal year ending February 2026, Toho posted consolidated net profit of 51.7 billion yen, up 19% from the previous year and marking a return to record-high earnings for the first time in two years.
Industry observers have pointed to Toho's ability to repeatedly generate blockbuster hits despite increasingly difficult conditions in Japan's film market. One key factor behind the success of 'Kokuhou' was the company's unconventional strategy surrounding the film's nearly three-hour runtime, a length considered highly unusual in the Japanese market because it reduces the number of daily screenings theaters can schedule.
Despite concerns that fewer screenings would limit revenue potential, Toho positioned the film as a large-scale cinematic experience, successfully turning the lengthy runtime into part of its appeal and drawing strong repeat audiences.
Source: テレ東BIZ
