Hollywood 3D and local hits fuel record Japan box office

By Chris Gallagher

(Reuters Life!) – Japanese movie theaters rang up record ticket sales in 2010, powered by Hollywood 3D blockbusters such as “Avatar” and strong performances by local franchise films, industry data showed on Thursday.

But despite the Hollywood-driven 3D boom, imported films lagged Japanese fare in overall market share for the third straight year, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan data also showed.