Amazon Japan Doubles Content Spend After JPY100 Billion Box Office Haul

Amazon MGM Studios Japan will double its investment in local content to meet global quality benchmarks, according to studio head Buddy Marini. He announced the plan on Wednesday during a session at the Tokyo International Film Festival's TIFFCOM market, a forum organized by the Motion Picture Association and UniJapan.

Marini, who took the Japan role in March after serving as CEO of Hulu Japan and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery Japan, oversees the studio's film, series, and anime output. He described the strategy as an effort to expand across all genres to reach diverse international viewers. Marini noted that Prime members receive movies as one of several service benefits, which helps titles travel regardless of their country of origin.

"If it's interesting, it's interesting," Marini said, explaining that global audiences focus on content quality rather than production location. He cited "The Silent Service," a recent Prime series about a rogue submarine captain, as a past success that demonstrated the model's potential. However, he warned that sustaining that level of quality requires deep collaboration between creative staff and screenwriters.

The studio's upcoming slate includes "The Apothecary Diaries," a live-action adaptation of a historical mystery franchise, and "Bless," based on a manga about an aspiring makeup artist. Marini called reverse-engineering the most important factor in building intellectual property that resonates worldwide, with teams working closely on scripts to ensure global appeal.

Matsuhashi Shinzo, CEO of Credeus and a panelist, highlighted the financial momentum behind Japanese cinema. His productions surpassed JPY100 billion, or $633 million, in cumulative box office revenue this year. That total includes "Kokuho," which set an all-time record for Japanese live-action films. Matsuhashi said his approach prioritizes a strong story, excellent script, and capable crew before considering the cast.

Steven Maeda, executive producer of Netflix's "One Piece" series, joined the discussion to address the challenges of adapting popular media. He recalled that Netflix initially wanted to produce "One Piece" as cheaply as possible, but the team argued for higher production values to satisfy fans while attracting new viewers. The series topped charts in 46 countries in its 2023 opening week and accumulated more than 140 million viewing hours in its first week.

Maeda described the production process as a balancing act between fidelity to source material and broad accessibility. "That's the battle of a lot of global IP," he said, adding that success depends on winning over both devoted fans and newcomers. He is currently adapting the graphic novel "Monstress" for Amazon Prime Video.