Average ticket price in Japanese cinemas 2015-2024

Movie theaters in Japan on average charged 1,433 Japanese yen per ticket in 2024. The average ticket price increased compared to 2023 and reached a new all-time high. 

Movie theater operators in Japan

The largest operators of movie theaters 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 2024, up from a nadir of less than two thousand between 1989 and 1998. The number of screens has increased despite a saturation of the market, as new shopping centers usually plan to include at least one movie theater operator among the core tenants. Since operators 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 movie theaters 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.