The MPPA reported that theater revenue throughout Japan was “close to zero” in the latter half of April.
Box office performance fell 90% in the first weekend of April compared to the same period last year, and all theaters closed by mid-April after Japan declared a nationwide state of emergency.
The eight prefectures that remain in a state of emergency are Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Hyogo, and Hokkaido.
The Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan (MPPA) reported on Monday that 12 major Japanese film distributors earned 688 million yen (about US$6.40 million) combined at the box office in April — a 96.3% decrease from last year, and the lowest month ever since the MPPA began tallying monthly box office receipts in 2000.