Toho celebrates sweetest ever September

TOKYO -- Toho, Japan's number one distribution and exhibition company, has had its best-ever Box office September in its 75-year history, the company announced on Monday. Also boosting the Toho bottom line in September are "Monkey Magic," a Fuji TV kiddie fantasy that has earned Y4.3 billion ($36.7 million), the latest "Pokemon" toon, which has passed the Y5 billion ($42.7 million) milestone, and the TBS weeper "Closed Note," which is expected to finish with more than Y1.5 billion ($12.8 million) despite being dissed by star in Erika Sawajiri in a widely reported -- and vilified -- opening day stage appearance.

Despite these and other hits, Toho's total for the first nine months of the year, Y42 billion, ($361 million), is down 18.4 percent compared with the same period in 2006 -- when Japanese pics grabbed more than a 50 percent market share for the first time in 21 years.

Source: http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/