Tokyo: My Best Actor Gear List

Chapter 269 Domestic and International Reactions, Box Office Revenue

Chapter 269 Domestic and International Reactions, Box Office Revenue

The lights in the screening room slowly came on.

On the big screen, as the final waltz melody played, the scrolling credits slowly rose. The entire thousand-seat premiere hall remained silent for a good ten seconds before thunderous applause erupted.

The applause was mixed with many suppressed gasps. In the front and back rows of the screening room, whether they were middle-aged office workers in suits who had just come from work, housewives who came in pairs, or even young film critics, many people's eyes were slightly red with barely concealed tears.

In its original historical context, it was no accident that "Shall We Dance?" swept numerous awards and shone brightly in Europe and America. It accurately addressed one of the most hidden and painful issues in modern society: the midlife crisis and spiritual suffocation of adults.

In this society, tightly bound by lifetime employment and traditional family values, everyone plays the role of a perfect cog in a machine: a good employee, a good husband, a good wife. The monotony of day after day crushes all passion, and people gradually become numb in a life where the end is predictable. The most brilliant aspect of this film is that it doesn't rely on vulgar infidelity or melodramatic family ethics to create conflict. It presents a kind of "purity"—

An honest, unassuming man, when his life became stagnant, found solace in ballroom dancing as his only window to breathe fresh air; a disheartened dancer rediscovered the purity of his original aspirations through clumsy dance steps.

Kitahara Shin and the cast of actors masterfully grasped the boundary between "repression and release." Kitahara Shin shed all his superstar aura, delivering a heart-wrenching performance of Sugiyama Shohei's silent despair: Nakamori Akina's aloofness and Miyazawa Rie's forbearance together wove an incredibly realistic web of life.

When Kitahara Shin led Nakamori Akina, Miyazawa Rie, Matsushima Nanako, and Matsu Takako from backstage to the front of the stage, the applause reached its peak.

During the opening ceremony at the premiere, the host handed the microphone to several of the main creators, asking them to share their thoughts on the film.

"The character of Sugiyama Shohei is actually an epitome of the millions of ordinary people around us." Kitahara Shin held the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the audience with tears in their eyes. His voice was calm and gentle. "Society demands that adults be mature and composed, but sometimes, an adult's heart also needs a secret garden where they can escape reality. This film wants to tell everyone that it's never too late to find that spark that can reignite your passion."

Akina Nakamori took the microphone with elegant poise: "Mai Kishikawa is a dancer who shuts herself off. In portraying her, I also re-examined my own attitude towards the stage. Sometimes, letting go of the obsession with perfection and fame, and returning to the most naive and original intentions, can lead to true happiness."

Rie Miyazawa spoke from the wife's perspective: "Many people find it unbelievable that the wife was able to let go in the end. But I think the most terrifying thing in a marriage is never that your partner has a new hobby, but that you lose spiritual communication with your partner. When she saw her husband laughing so happily on stage, she understood that loving someone also includes accepting their attempts to save themselves."

Nanako and Takako Matsu also shared their fun experiences playing trainees on set, and the atmosphere became relaxed and lively with the smiles of the goddesses.

Just then, the host, who was always good at creating a lively atmosphere, suddenly changed the subject and threw out a very eye-catching and sharp question.

"Ladies, the scenes in the movie just now resonated with you all. Now, imagine that one day in the future, your husbands, like Mr. Sugiyama in the movie, suddenly start coming home late every day, smelling of perfume, and secretly going to dance lessons with a beautiful female teacher—what would you think or do if you found out?"

As soon as the question was asked, the audience below the stage all showed expressions of anticipation and pricked up their ears.

Akina Nakamori first smiled gently while holding the microphone, her charming eyes slightly shifting as she gave Shin Kitahara, who was standing to the side, a deep look that only a few people could understand.

Then, she said calmly, with the confidence of a big sister, "I believe that my future husband would never do something like this, hiding it from me."

This answer is watertight, demonstrating absolute trust in one's partner while subtly asserting ownership.

The microphone was passed to Rie Miyazawa. This actress, who has always been bold in love and hate and has a somewhat spoiled personality, didn't hesitate for a second. She raised her eyebrows and threw out a fierce statement at the camera.

"If it were me, I would definitely break his legs."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire premiere hall fell into a deathly silence for half a second, followed by a burst of laughter and uproar that seemed to lift the roof off. The host exaggeratedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, exclaiming repeatedly, "Ms. Miyazawa is truly a heroine among women!"

Standing to the side, Kitahara Shin couldn't help but shake his head with a smile upon hearing this bold statement.

Then, Nanako picked up the microphone. Today she was wearing a gentle light-colored suit, and her face was adorned with her signature sweet smile that made people feel like they were being warmed by a spring breeze.

"As for me, I still have a lot of faith in my future husband. I believe he's not the kind of person who would do anything reckless." Nanako tilted her head slightly, her tone revealing a natural tolerance and indulgence. "Besides, it's just learning to dance, right? It's not like he's actually cheating, is it? If he really likes it that much, maybe I'll pester him to teach me the dance steps he's learned, and we can dance together."

The male audience members below the stage, upon hearing Nanako's answer, which could be described as that of a "perfect wife," all murmured with envy.

Finally, the microphone was handed to Matsu Takako, who was standing at the very edge.

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Takako Matsu, who had just turned nineteen and had a face full of collagen, blushed instantly when she saw thousands of eyes on the stage. She waved her hands frantically and took a half-step back like a startled fawn.

"I—I don't know yet! I'm too young; I haven't even considered marriage at the moment!"

Matsu Takako's shy reaction, which had a distinctly student-like quality, perfectly evaded this potentially disastrous question, eliciting a burst of good-natured laughter from the audience.

With the successful conclusion of the premiere, "Shall We Dance?" officially premiered in theaters across Japan.

Just as Kitahara Shin predicted, this lighthearted comedy, which lacks grand special effects and melodramatic love triangles, did not immediately show explosive opening day ratings. Instead, it followed a surprisingly steady downward trend.

In its original historical timeline, the film grossed nearly 3 billion yen domestically, making it a true dark horse of its year. In this new timeline, with the established reputation of Shin Kitahara and the support of a powerful theatrical distribution network, coupled with the immense popularity of Akina Nakamori and Rie Miyazawa, the film's box office performance has been even more phenomenal. In less than four weeks, it easily surpassed 4 billion yen in cumulative box office revenue and continues to rake in money thanks to its remarkable long-tail effect.

For an art-house comedy that aims to resonate with the emotions of adults, this is an incredible achievement that has impressed the entire Japanese film industry.

The market response was unprecedentedly enthusiastic. At the ticket windows and in the cinema lounges, you could see a very peculiar phenomenon: middle-aged office workers in suits who rarely go to the cinema were buying tickets and entering in groups; while housewives pushing strollers or who had just finished grocery shopping were also sitting together in the screening room, laughing and crying along with the plot.

Everyone was deeply moved by the film's delicate and nuanced portrayal of everyday life. The image of Sugiyama Shohei awkwardly practicing the waltz at the train station platform became a memorable scene that countless people would talk about after getting drunk in izakayas.

This was matched by an overwhelming wave of positive reviews from professional film critics.

Japan's most authoritative film magazine, Kinema Junpo, dedicated two full pages to a lengthy review, highly praising the film's artistic value: "This film is like a gentle scalpel, precisely dissecting the social numbness that enveloped everyone in the early Heisei era. Kitahara Shin delivers the most restrained and down-to-earth performance of his career; he achieves perfect 'subtraction,' portraying an ordinary man whose passion has been drained by life with remarkable depth."

However, amidst the overwhelming praise, the one who received the most accolades and brought the greatest surprise to the public was not the lead actor, Kitahara Shin, but the female lead, Nakamori Akina.

The entertainment headlines and art review sections of major newspapers spared no expense in piling the most florid language on this diva.

Over the years, Akina Nakamori's image as the "Number One Diva of the Showa Era" and the "Queen of Heisei Era" has become deeply ingrained in people's minds. The public has long been accustomed to her affectionate or domineering demeanor when she holds the microphone on stage.

So much so that most people have forgotten that she underwent many years of rigorous professional ballet training before entering the entertainment industry.

When Akina, dressed in a form-fitting black leotard, stood on tiptoe on a wide wooden floor on the big screen, revealing her impeccable swan neck and smooth, upright back, the entire Japanese audience was stunned.

She didn't need to sing; a cool, melancholic glance and a clean, crisp waltz perfectly captured Kishikawa Mai's noble, fragile yet powerful dancer's spirit.

"I never knew Akina Nakamori could dance so beautifully!"

"That lonely yet stubborn look in her eyes is just like Kishikawa Mai herself stepped out of the script!"

The striking visual impact and the novelty of breaking with established impressions instantly attracted a massive influx of new fans to Akina. These new fans were no longer just music lovers who enjoyed her singing; they also included a large number of seasoned moviegoers who previously only followed her films, as well as female viewers deeply captivated by her elegant physique. Her popularity and public favorability experienced an unprecedented surge thanks to this film.

The complete explosion of popularity in the Japanese domestic market solidified "Shall We Dance?" as a phenomenal masterpiece of the year.

Meanwhile, Kitahara Shin, the mastermind behind the scenes, was sitting in the president's office, looking at the box office success reports and piles of positive reviews sent by his subordinates, and closed the folder with satisfaction.

He knew very well that the domestic sensation was only the first step, and the film's true potential was far greater than that.

While "Shall We Dance?" was enjoying a meteoric rise at the Japanese box office and sweeping various awards, its overseas distribution rights were quickly acquired by a top North American independent film distribution company, and it quietly hit theaters in Europe and America.

Initially, for a Japanese family drama without Hollywood stars, action scenes, or even a more introspective subject matter, the film received very few screenings in North American theaters, mostly limited to a few art-house cinemas.

But no one expected that this seemingly uninteresting Eastern film would, in just a few weeks, carve out a niche in the North American market with its explosive word-of-mouth, staging an astonishing comeback.

In the cultural context of Western audiences, ballroom dancing is a very familiar form of social interaction and art. When this body language, so commonplace in the West, is placed within the context of a Japanese society known for its rigidity, conservatism, and repression, it creates an extremely strange and potentially fatal cultural clash.

Western audiences were able to truly experience the subtle and delicate way of expressing emotions in the East through the big screen.

The solitary pantomime practice of Shohei Sugiyama under the platform, and his final push open of the banquet hall doors, with a slight...

When he uttered "Shallwedance" in broken English, he completely broke down the language barrier between Eastern and Western cultures.

Westerners typically struggle to understand the almost obsessive workplace oppression and family alienation experienced by Japanese office workers. However, dance, as a universally understood form of physical expression, perfectly serves as a bridge for communication. Watching a middle-aged man, whose soul has been robbed by the weight of life, rediscover the spark of life in the elegant tango and the joyful rumba, resonates deeply with the North American middle class. This core theme of "ordinary people's self-redemption" transcends national borders.

The film's screening rate began to rise sharply, rapidly expanding from dozens of art-house cinemas to hundreds of mainstream theaters across the United States.

Ultimately, "Shall We Dance?", which had already achieved miracles in its original timeline, unleashed its terrifying power once again in this world. It raked in an astonishing nearly ten million dollars at the North American box office, directly breaking the record for the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film ever released in North America at the time.

Not only did ordinary viewers appreciate the film, but professional film critics overseas also gave it high praise. The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times lavishly praised the film's ingenious concept in their columns, calling it "a healing masterpiece that perfectly blends Eastern understated aesthetics with Western unrestrained dance."

The biggest beneficiary of this movie-going frenzy that swept North America was undoubtedly Nobuki Kitahara.

For the traditionally arrogant Hollywood and mainstream Western audiences, Asian faces often represent only two stereotypes:

They're either action stars who know kung fu or cunning villains.

But Kitahara Shin shattered this prejudice.

Western audiences on the big screen have firmly remembered this strikingly handsome Asian face. They watched as Shin Kitahara portrayed a man's weakness, forbearance, longing, and eventual triumphant release with exquisite detail. He proved that Asian actors can also handle profound realistic themes and exude captivating gentlemanly charm and mature allure.

With this film, Kitahara Shin successfully made a significant breakthrough in the overseas market. He was no longer just a domestic ratings king who only circulated in Asia, but officially entered the vision of the Western mainstream film industry and overseas audiences, laying a very solid foundation for international recognition.

This is precisely the most ingenious part of Kitahara Shin's long-term plan.

He knew very well that the transnational crime action blockbuster he was going to collaborate on with Jackie Chan was not only aimed at the Asian box office, but also at taking a share of the global market, especially the North American market.

Jackie Chan already had a huge base of action film fans overseas. Now, with the reputation and recognition established by "Shall We Dance?" in Europe and America, when Hollywood distributors and investors see the proposal for the new project, the name Shin Kitahara will no longer be a "local Japanese actor" who needs Jackie Chan to promote, but a true superstar who has carried box office records in the European and American markets and has both acting skills and international fame.

Just days after the news of "Shall We Dance" achieving great success at the overseas box office and causing a widespread sensation reached Japan, Kitahara Shin received a transoceanic international long-distance call on his personal mobile phone.

As soon as the call connected, Jackie Chan's signature hearty laughter came from the other end.

"Wow, Kitahara, you're something else! I've only been gone for a short while, and you've already made such a splash in Europe and America! Tens of millions of dollars at the box office, you're definitely a big name in Hollywood now!"

Hearing the strong voice on the other end of the phone, Kitahara Shin leaned back in his boss's chair and chuckled softly, saying modestly, "Oh, it's just good luck. In terms of international influence, my film is far inferior to Jackie Chan's globally blockbuster action films."

"Alright, alright, let's not waste time with these polite platitudes between us brothers," Jackie Chan interrupted him with a laugh on the other end of the phone. His tone then turned serious as he got to the point, "Seriously, when will all the venue approvals and connections you mentioned you could arrange in Tokyo be finalized? I need to check the timetable with you and confirm the final filming schedule. I'm bringing my entire 'Jackie Chan Stunt Team' with me to your location."

At this point, Jackie Chan added, half-jokingly, "As the host, can you take care of all the food, drink, and other necessities for hundreds of brothers, plus the mess of closing the streets for filming?

"Of course, no problem." Kitahara Shin's answer was without the slightest hesitation, his tone exuding absolute control. "Brother, feel free to bring your men. As long as your plane lands in Tokyo, leave everything else to me, including obtaining permission from the Metropolitan Police Department and clearing the streets of Shinjuku."

"Okay! I'm relieved to hear that! See you in Tokyo!"

After hanging up the phone, Kitahara Shin casually placed his phone on the table, casting the light onto the bustling Tokyo night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

With the successful completion of filming for "Shall We Dance?" and its resounding success in screenings both domestically and internationally, Shin Kitahara is about to bid farewell to this gentle and restrained art film and embrace a brand new and most challenging project in his previous career.

That is to team up with Jackie Chan to film a real, hard-hitting international action blockbuster on the streets of Tokyo.

As for the title of the film, after several transoceanic phone calls between Shin Kitahara and Jackie Chan, it was finally finalized—"Shinjuku Incident".

While there is an element of respect involved in choosing this name, it is also the most suitable name for both Kitahara Shin and Jackie Chan.

After all, what if they make a sequel later?

Then could be the Shibuya incident, the Ginza incident, the grand finale, and then the Tokyo incident.

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