The Peculiarities of Japanese Movie Watching (if you’re an American) (Part II of II)
Then there’s the difference in the months of the year that the Japanese and Americans go watch film.
Summer, to be sure, is the period for blockbuster movies in Japan as it is in America, but the definition of “summer” differs quite a bit between the two markets. In America, the last Monday of May marks the unofficial beginning of summer vacation and the official beginning of summer blockbuster season. American movie lovers look forward to Memorial Day.
In Japan, the end of May is not summer. In fact, it’s peak season for productivity. People are just starting to recover from the Goldenweek hangover and getting resigned to the fact that there are couple more weeks of school and work. The Japanese would consider it absurd that “summer” begins in May.
By July, though, even Japan is in summer blockbuster mode as kids get off school, and it’s America that leaves the party early in August, the notorious dump month of movies where studios send bad movies like “Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002) to their deaths.
The last time I was in the U.S. in late August, I roamed into the theater with a thought of catching a flick, any flick. But even I, a lover of bad films, wasn’t willing to sit through the movies that were showing. This is one problem I wouldn’t have in Japan, where August is the peak of summer movies extravaganza.
I do have a different problem in Japan, though, and it’s the annoying habit of people staying in the theater until the very end of the film.
My friend from college, John (God rest is soul), used to do the same even though we were in America. I always tried to drag him out of the theater but he insisted on showing respect to everyone involved in the making of the film by staying through the final credits.
I doubt the Japanese stick around for the same reason. Most moviegoers don’t know enough about movies to recognize the names rolling down the screen or appreciate the music running in the background.
I suspect what’s happening is that they think it’s rude to stand up and walk in front of people in the dark, risking stepping on their toes. The ironic thing about this concern is that if everybody got up and headed towards the exists as they do in America, it will end up just fine.
