VIZ Pictures, the company that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has just bought its own art-house movie theatre, which it plans to open in about a year. In the heart of San Francisco’s Japan Town, the theatre will specialize in screening Japanese films and anime.
The theatre will be the focal point of a new “multi-boutique commercial building called The J-Pop Center (for Japanese Pop culture) that will also house a bookstore, café, and several hip fashion boutiques originated in Tokyo.”
The theatre will be “equipped with a THX sound system and cutting edge film as well as digital projection systems.” It will screen a diverse collection of Japanese live action and animated titles, many of which have been little-seen outside Japan or at select film festivals.
“VIZ Pictures is committed to delivering a bright and positive message about Japanese pop culture and bringing some of the best examples to a mainstream audience,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “The launch of the J-Pop Center will be focal point of our mission and offer tourists an exotic, fun, and fresh look at what is hip in Japan. The theatre will introduce some of the most entertaining Japanese movies, many of which are based on popular novels, manga, and anime, as well as help to establish J-Pop as an exciting new movie category with domestic audiences.”
For more information about VIZ, see their web site.