Average ticket price in Japanese cinemas 2014-2023
Movie theaters in Japan on average charged 1,424 Japanese yen per ticket in 2023. The average ticket price increased compared to 2023 and reached a new all-time high.
Movie theater operators in Japan
The largest operators of cinemas in Japan are TOHO Cinemas, Aeon Cinema, MOVIX, T-Joy, United Cinemas, 109 Cinemas, and Cinema Sunshine. The number of movie theater screens in Japan stood at more than 3.6 thousand in 2023, up from a nadir of less than two thousand between 1989 and 1998. The number of cinema screens has increased despite a saturation of the market, as new shopping centers usually plan to include at least one cinema operator among the core tenants. Since cinema chains fear losing market shares to competitors, they prefer to hold additional tenancies despite the market situation.
Change in ticket prices in 2019
The year 2019 was marked by the first larger increase in ticket prices in two decades. Led by two of Japan’s major operators, TOHO Cinemas and 109 Cinemas, the standard admission price, which had stood at 1,800 Japanese yen since 1993, was increased to about 1,900 yen on June 1, 2019. One reason for this decision can be found in the increased costs related to 3D, 4DX and IMAX movies. It is common, however, for cinemas to offer discounts, which explains the lower average admission fee. Despite the increase of prices, the total number of cinema admissions reached almost 195 million in 2019, which was the highest result since 1971.
Movie theater operators in Japan
The largest operators of cinemas in Japan are TOHO Cinemas, Aeon Cinema, MOVIX, T-Joy, United Cinemas, 109 Cinemas, and Cinema Sunshine. The number of movie theater screens in Japan stood at more than 3.6 thousand in 2023, up from a nadir of less than two thousand between 1989 and 1998. The number of cinema screens has increased despite a saturation of the market, as new shopping centers usually plan to include at least one cinema operator among the core tenants. Since cinema chains fear losing market shares to competitors, they prefer to hold additional tenancies despite the market situation.
Change in ticket prices in 2019
The year 2019 was marked by the first larger increase in ticket prices in two decades. Led by two of Japan’s major operators, TOHO Cinemas and 109 Cinemas, the standard admission price, which had stood at 1,800 Japanese yen since 1993, was increased to about 1,900 yen on June 1, 2019. One reason for this decision can be found in the increased costs related to 3D, 4DX and IMAX movies. It is common, however, for cinemas to offer discounts, which explains the lower average admission fee. Despite the increase of prices, the total number of cinema admissions reached almost 195 million in 2019, which was the highest result since 1971.
