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Kadokawa Daiei Studio

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Kadokawa Daiei Studio Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社角川大映スタジオ
Kabushiki gaisha Kadokawa Daiei Sutajio
FormerlyKadokawa Pictures [ja] (1975-2002; 2014)
TypeSubsidiary KK
IndustryFilm
PredecessorKadokawa Pictures [ja]
Daiei Film
FoundedMay 21, 1975; 51 years ago (1975-05-21)
FounderHaruki Kadokawa (for Kadokawa Pictures branch)
Headquarters1-8-19 Fujimi,
Chiyoda, Tokyo
,
Japan
Area served
Japan, worldwide
Key peopleTsuguhiko Kadokawa [ja]
(Chairman)
Shinichiro Inoue [ja]
(President and CEO)
ProductsMotion pictures
Total equity¥250 million
OwnerKadokawa Corporation
ParentKadokawa Shoten
Websitekd-st.co.jp

Kadokawa Daiei Studio Co., Ltd., formerly Kadokawa Pictures Inc. (角川映画株式会社, Kadokawa Eiga Kabushiki-gaisha) is the film production and distribution division of the Japanese company the Kadokawa Corporation, which was established through the acquisition of Daiei Film.[1]

History

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Kadokawa Daiei Studio in Chōfu, which contains the Daimajin Shrine [ja].
Kadokawa Pictures absorbed Daiei Film assets to form Kadokawa Daiei Studio.

In 1945, Genyoshi Kadokawa established Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., focusing on the publishing business.[2]

In 1975, Kadokawa's president, Haruki Kadokawa, decided to venture into the film business, launching the film division of Kadokawa Shoten; thus Kadokawa Pictures [ja] was born. His goal was to try to reap synergy benefits by creating film adaptations of the publishing house's most popular books and marketing them simultaneously.[3] The company's first film was the 1976 release The Inugamis, directed by Kon Ichikawa and adapted from a Kadokawa Shoten published novel written by Seishi Yokomizo.[4] Due to an aggressive marketing campaign, the film ended as the second-largest earner of the year in Japan.[3]

Between 1976 and 1993, Kadokawa produced close to 60 films. The company's pictures were usually large-scale epics with sizable budgets and matching advertising campaigns, aimed for mass audiences and box-office success. While critics were not always kind on Kadokawa's works,[3] the films were consistently popular among the viewing public. By 1992, seven out of the top 20 all-time highest box-office grossing Japanese films were Kadokawa productions.[5] During his time at Kadokawa Shoten, Haruki Kadokawa was often hailed as the savior of Japan's struggling film industry.[3] Kadokawa's efforts to branch into foreign markets were consistently less successful. Its biggest failure came in 1992, when the 25 million US$ film Ruby Cairo, starring Andie MacDowell, failed to find a distributor in the United States.[3] Haruki Kadokawa was forced to resign from Kadokawa Shoten after being arrested for smuggling cocaine.[5] The new president was Haruki's younger brother Tsuguhiko [ja],[5] who had previously been forced out of the company in favor of Haruki's son Taro.[3]

Kadokawa Shoten later acquired Daiei Film Co. from Tokuma Shoten following the passing of its president, Yasuyoshi Tokuma [ja]. In November 2002, the chairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa [ja] announced that Daiei Film Co. would merge with the company's own film division to form Kadokawa-Daiei Film Co., Ltd.[1][6][7]

In March 2004, Kadokawa Daiei Pictures, Inc.[8] acquired a 44% stake in Nippon Herald Films Inc., an independent film distributor founded in 1956,[9] and acquired the remaining 56% stake the following year.[10][11] It later changed its name to Kadokawa Pictures.[12]

On March 1, 2006, it merged with the Kadokawa Herald to become Kadokawa Herald Pictures Inc. and later Kadokawa Pictures.[13] In 2007, it changed its name to Kadokawa Shoten Pictures, with Shinichiro Inoue [ja] as its president and CEO.[14]

After a merger with Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co. in 2011, it became the studio division of its parent company, Kadokawa Group Holdings Ltd. and maintained its name, Kadokawa Pictures, focusing on mixed-media business.[15][16]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Aiken, Keith. "Gamera the Brave". SciFi Japan. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Kadokawa Shoten to be Divided, New Magazine Subsidiary Created:A Brief History of Kadokawa". November 28, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mark Schilling (1997). The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. Weatherhill. ISBN 978-0-8348-0380-0.
  4. ↑ "Kadokawa Company History 1976(S51)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Jon Herskovitz (February 28, 1997). "Hit-maker Kadokawa back in film business". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Kadokawa Company History 2002(H14)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  7. ↑ Shuntaro, Ono [in Japanese] (April 30, 2026). ガメラの精神史：昭和から平成、そして令和へ ("Geistesgeschichte of Gamera: From Showa to Heisei, then to Reiwa"). Takanashi Shobou [ja]. p. 254.
  8. ↑ "History". Kadokawa. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021. Company name changed to Kadokawa Daiei Pictures, Inc.
  9. ↑ "Nippon Herald woes lead to stock market delist". Screen.
  10. ↑ "JAPAN: Kadokawa eyes Nippon Herald stake". March 11, 2004. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Nippon Herald Films Inc & Kadokawa Holdings Inc Merger Report at CNN Money". Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ↑ "Kadokawa Company History 2004(H16)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Kadokawa Company History 2006(H18)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Kadokawa Company History 2007(H19)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Kadokawa Pictures About page" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Our Theory of Evolution" (PDF). Kadokawa Group Holdings, Inc. March 31, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
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