This was in line with a dropin admissions from 170 million in 2004 to just over 160 million last year.
Figures were more positivefrom a domestic standpoint, with homegrown releases taking a larger cut of thebox office total at 41.3%, an almost 4% increase over 2004. The figure hasn'ttopped 40% since 1997 - the release year of previous domestic box office champ Princess Mononoke - and follows anall-time low of 27.1% in 2002.
Late 2004 release Howl's Moving Castle (Oscar-nominatedfor best animated feature) continued earning big in 2005, with total haul of$167m (Y19.6bn), far surpassing any other release.
The latest Pokemonadventure, two Bayside Shakedownspin-offs and Nana rounded out thedomestic top five. The year's second biggest earner, and the only foreignrelease able to crack the 10 billion yen ($85m) mark, was Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire with receipts of $98m(Y11.5bn), followed by Star Wars: EpisodeIII - Revenge of the Sith.
No comments yet