Space Battleship Yamato (STAR BLAZERS)

[Gabriel]

From Variety:
Japan box office faces uncertainty - Toho dominates, but market factors put other distribs on edge

One ray of hope is 3D, where the Hollywood product far outdistances the local competition, in terms of budgets and sheer numbers. By 2012, nearly one-third of all Japanese screens are expected to be 3D -- and the Hollywood successors to "Avatar," which has earned more $160 million in Japan, will probably be filling most of them, including Legendary Pictures' 3D entry in Toho's iconic "Godzilla" franchise.

Toho plans to end the year big, with "Space Battleship Yamato." Based on a much-beloved 1970s Leiji Matsumoto toon, this sci-fi space opera is being compared to "Avatar" in its potential B.O. impact. Meanwhile, makers of the 300-plus local films that aren't on the Toho lineup will be battling for space of another kind, from theater marquees to DVD shelves.

It's not fair, but then neither were all those stompings Godzilla administered to the frantically fleeing citizens of Tokyo. In the Japanese biz, you can run from Toho, but you just can't hide.

From Tokyo Graph Sat, October 3, 2009:
Live-action "Yamato" details revealed

The live-action "Space Battleship Yamato" movie had its cast publicly revealed on Friday, along with other new details about the project. The film is being directed by Takashi Yamazaki with a projected release date in December 2010.

As previously announced, SMAP member Takuya Kimura (36) will star as the protagonist Susumu Kodai, while Meisa Kuroki (21) has been confirmed as the replacement for Erika Sawajiri (23) in the role of Yuki Mori.

Two characters have been modified for the movie. Crew members Aihara and Dr. Sado have been changed into females, played by Maiko (24) and Reiko Takashima (45), respectively.

The other cast members revealed so far are Toshiro Yanagiba (as Shiro Sanada), Naoto Ogata (as Daisuke Shima), Hiroyuki Ikeuchi (as Hajime Saito), Shinichi Tsutsumi (as Mamoru Kodai), Isao Hashizume (as Heikuro Todo), Toshiyuki Nishida (as Hikozaemon Tokugawa), and Tsutomu Yamazaki (as Juzo Okita). The actor playing the antagonist Desslar has not yet been announced.

The CG-heavy film has an estimated budget of more than 2 billion yen. Filming will start later this month.

From Variety Dec. 16, 2009:
Toho unveils 2010 slate - Japan’s giant distrib-exhib will unspool 30 pics

Toho, Japan's biggest distrib and exhib, has unveiled a 30-pic line-up for 2010 that promises stiff competition for Hollywood in the already difficult Japanese market.

Topping the line-up is the new toon from Studio Ghibli, "Karigurashi no Arrietty" (Arrietty Borrows Everything), based on Mary Norton's classic book, "The Borrowers."

Pic will be directed by studio animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi with resident genius Hayao Miyazaki scripting and supervising. It is skedded to bow in the summer.

Packing even more box office potential is the third outing in the "Bayside Shakedown" series about a cheeky detective, played by Yuji Oda, who battles bad guys and police bureaucracy with the aid of oddball co-workers.

The pic has been penciled in for a July bow. The second installment, released in 2003, made $197 million.

Also looking to top the B.O. is the third entry in the "Umizaru" series about elite divers in the Japanese Coast Guard, due out in September. The previous pic, bowing in 2006, made $81 million.

Umizaru 3" and "Bayside Shakedown 3" are produced by the Fuji TV network.

At the end of the year, Toho will be expecting big things from "Space Battleship Yamato," the sci-fi fantasy based on Reiji Matsumoto's iconic 1970s TV and pic toon series. The live-action pic, helmed by CGI whiz Takashi Yamazaki, has a budget in the region of $30 million -- huge for a local pic.

From Variety Sun., Dec. 27, 2009:
Ad splash for 'Yamato' - Toho spending big on New Year's Day blitz for film

Toho, Japan's leading distrib and exhib, is splashing out $11 million on New Year's Day advertising for its sci-fi spectacular "Space Battleship Yamato" -- a huge sum for a local pic.

The spend comes on top of its $30 million budget, the upper limit for a domestic pic.

Toho will run "Yamato" commercials on all five networks, beginning with the first ad after midnight on Jan. 1, considered the most prestigious, and priciest, spot.

The blitz also features ads in national newspapers; the biggest is a four-page spread, including front and back pages, in the conservative Sankei Shinbun broadsheet.

Finally, Toho will screen 30-second trailers in all its theaters Jan. 1-8.

Skedded for a December 2010 bow, "Space Battleship Yamato" is a live-action version of the iconic 1970s Leiji Matsumoto anime space opera, helmed by Takashi Yamazaki and featuring local superstar Takuya Kimura.

From TWITCH:
Catch A Glimpse Of The Wave Motion Cannon In Action In The Latest Trailer For Takashi Yamazaki's SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (STAR BLAZERS)