The CEO of Sato Company, Nelson Akira Sato, explained, this Tuesday (3), during the Unlock of CCXP24 what was the strategy adopted to bring the first anime to Brazilian cinemas, in 1990.
The production in question is “Akira”, which ran for a year and managed to attract more than 250,000 spectators to theaters across Brazil.
During the panel, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of “Akira”, Sato said that he knocked on the doors of all the major cinema distributors at the time, but was unable to convince them to release the film.
The tactic, then, was changed, and he, in partnership with Luiz Gonzaga Assis de Luca, who had worked at Maurício de Sousa Produções, decided to adopt the road show, that is, to put the film in a few cinemas and bet on word of mouth. mouth to make the project work.
“It was a matter of looking for partnership. There’s nothing better than the physical presence of a guy saying: ‘I saw this movie and it’s really good’”, he explained.
The two criticized the view of major film distributors and stated that, nowadays, films are treated as commodities.
“Either the film is a block buster and is absurd, like ‘Inside Out,’ or the film bombs. You don’t have time, the film is not treated case by case,” said Gonzaga.
“There’s no time to show the film, there’s no culture of going to the cinema to watch anime.”
Ghibli Fest in Brazil
Sato also revealed this Tuesday (3) that he will promote a festival in Brazil with 23 films from Studio Ghibli, including “The Boy and the Crane”, winner of the Oscar for Best Animation in 2024, and “Spirited Away”, which won the same award in 2003.
The Sato Company will also bring “Detective Conan The Million-Dollar Pentragran” to Brazil in 2025. The 27th feature in the franchise is the highest-grossing film in Japan in 2024, with US$97.5 million (about R$590 million) .
How to buy tickets for CCXP24?
CCXP24 tickets are still on sale on the Mundo Tickets website.
Tickets range from R$ 200 (half-price on Thursday) to R$ 3,300 (Unlock CCXP Single, which gives entry to the four days of the event and Unlock, which takes place this Tuesday and Wednesday).
Outside the world of music, Alan Ritchson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Adam Scott, James Marsden, Marina Ruy Barbosa, Miles Teller, Nicole Wallace and more personalities are already confirmed at the event.
They will participate in panels to talk about their new projects. Check here a list of all the celebrities who will be at CCXP24.
This content was originally published in “Akira”: understand how the first anime arrived in Brazilian cinemas on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
