Japanese Anime Craze... Strong Fandom Foundation
'Slam Dunk' Popularity Leads to IMAX Release
Compared to Underperforming Domestic Films
With the popularity of Japanese animations such as Slam Dunk, which was released in January this year, domestic films that have relatively underperformed at the box office are experiencing mixed fortunes. Experts predict that the popularity of Japanese animated films, based on fandoms, will continue for the time being.
'The First Slam Dunk,' released domestically on January 4, broke the record for the highest-grossing animated film in Korea. Additionally, 'Demon Slayer: Upper Rank Gathering and the Smith Village,' released on February 2, and 'Suzume no Tojimari,' released on February 8, have kept the Japanese animation box office craze going for three consecutive months. All three films ranked within the top 10 at the domestic box office. In particular, Slam Dunk has even created a new term, 'Seulchinja,' referring to 'people crazy about Slam Dunk,' and the craze for multiple viewings continues unabated.
Director Makoto Shinkai's new work, 'Suzume no Tojimari,' has consistently held the number one spot at the box office since its release. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated ticket sales system on the 24th, the animation attracted 65,991 viewers on the 23rd alone, maintaining the number one box office position for 16 consecutive days since its release on the 8th. The cumulative audience reached 2,207,371.
'Suzume no Tojimari' surpassed 1 million viewers on its 6th day after release on the 13th, marking the fastest pace among films released in 2023. This is the shortest record compared to 'Negotiation' (7 days), 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' (8 days), and 'The First Slam Dunk' (14 days). In addition, the popular animation series 'Demon Slayer' has surpassed 460,000 cumulative viewers since its release on the 2nd.
Audience reviews are also positive. Park, a self-employed office worker in his 40s who usually visits theaters with his family on weekends, said, "I watched Slam Dunk twice, including both dubbed and subtitled versions," adding, "It was not just a simple entertaining cartoon but also had valuable lessons."
Riding on this popularity, Slam Dunk will hold a stage greeting and a GV (talk session with the audience) with voice actors from Korea and Japan on April 2 to celebrate surpassing 4 million viewers. Furthermore, on April 5, alongside the IMAX release, a live event featuring the band 10-FEET, who performed the ending theme 'JeZEROgam,' and a stage greeting are scheduled, promising to ignite a hot ticketing frenzy among 'Seulchinja' fans. On the 12th, Slam Dunk easily surpassed the previous record-holder 'Your Name' (approximately 3.8 million viewers) and successfully crossed the 4 million mark.
The success of Japanese animations contrasts with the underperformance of domestic films. Recent releases such as 'Daewoe-bi,' 'Count,' and 'Meongungi' have all struggled to surpass the 1 million viewer mark. 'Meongungi' even opted for IPTV release just 17 days after its theatrical debut. The film 'Soulmate,' released on the 15th, attracted only 20,239 viewers on its opening day, which is about a quarter of the audience that 'Suzume no Tojimari' drew on the same day.
Experts cite fandom as the biggest factor behind the success of Japanese animations. Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun said, "Recent popular works like Slam Dunk are all based on fandoms. For example, fans of director Makoto Shinkai basically think, 'Of course, I have to watch that work.' Moreover, the only place to watch these works is the cinema. This ultimately leads to a virtuous cycle." He added, "Especially with Slam Dunk, the current newtro trend has brought together middle-aged people who consumed the manga in the past and young people experiencing Slam Dunk for the first time, resulting in multiple viewings."
Jung also noted, "In the case of Korean animation, many are made for TV rather than theaters, so (while it may be difficult to simply compare with the success of Japanese animations) the theatrical audience base is not well established."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
