Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

by **Legion** » Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:48 pm

Hydro, I don't think it matters. The Japanese are burnt out on giant monster movies, period.

by **BrianBuck** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:24 pm

I don't think the Japanese are as burnt out on kaiju films as most on this thread might think. After all, Cloverfield performed quite well there if I recall correctly.
At any rate, I recently heard some rumors from a friend of mine with contacts in Japan. Take these with several grains of salt:
1. Emmerich will be directing Godzilla 2-this one seems the most difficult to believe.
2. The G 3D project is going ahead-don't know about this one.
3. Toho is bringing back Godzilla in 2011 with digital effects bigger and better than ever-like I said, grains of salt.

As far as the debate over what tone any new film might have, I lean more towards serious without being too dark. I'd like to see all new monsters, better plots and scripts and co-production with an American studio rather than seeing Mothra and Ghidorah return yet again. I think the series needs a creative shot in the arm more than anything else. I hope the next generation of Japanese filmakers are allowed to pit Godzilla against all new monster characters. Give us new monster legends for a new era.

by **Legion** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:37 pm

by **The Giant Pacific Octopus** » Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:49 pm

by **kpa** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:09 am

Like GPO pointed out, CLOVERFIELD's Japanese box office in 2008 was a little below what GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS made back in 2003... and Toho was not thrilled with what TOKYO SOS earned. Notice there hasn't been a a wave of new kaiju movies announced in Japan since CLOVERFIELD came out.

Since FINAL WARS was released, KING KONG '05 made around $20 million in Japan, GAMERA THE BRAVE made $2.6 mil, THE HOST about $1.5 mil, and DRAGON WARS around $800,000.

In contrast, the last INDIANA JONES made over $50 million, WALL-E over $40 mil, Toho's BOYS OVER FLOWERS: FINAL earned $70 mil last year and their 20TH CENTURY BOYS made around $35 mil. Anime is still bringing in the big bucks with Hayao Miyazaki's latest film PONYO ON A CLIFF BY THE SEA earning more than $160 million in Japan alone.

If you look at the numbers it's clear why Toho and other studios are focusing on other genres rather than daikaiju these days.

It is worth noting that THE DARK KNIGHT tanked in Japan with the major complaint being that the film was "too dark".

by **SeaHawk** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:35 am

by **Legion** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 8:47 am

by **kiryugoji04** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:00 am

by **ryuuseipro** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:35 am

by **Danno** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:35 pm

How did Tranformers do in Japan?

by **The Giant Pacific Octopus** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 7:13 pm

It did some solid (although unspectacular ) business. About $34 million US.

by **G2KMaster** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:40 pm

by **Hawanja** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 1:38 pm

by **Benjamin Haines** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:07 pm

^ Kong'05 still made about as much in Japan as GMK did in 2001, and GMK's business was as good as it got for Godzilla this millennium. It wasn't enough to stop each subsequent G film from making less and less (including the absolute tanking of the 50th anniversary event film), nor was it enough to deter the series from its current hiatus.

Japanese moviegoers just aren't interested in monster movies right now, no matter how much we want them to be.

by **kpa** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:46 pm

by **Legion** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:41 pm

by **G2KMaster** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:05 pm

by **Legion** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:15 pm

Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

Real possibility of new film starts this year

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