[Niyusu]

The number of screens at movie theaters in Japan peaked at 7,500 in 1960 but dropped to 1,700 by 1993. The number of Japanese movie screens has increased since then, standing at 3,150 as of July 2007.

Movie multiplexes in suburbs now account for 2,350, or 75 percent, of the nation's screens, according to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.

But even with increased competition, independent Japanese movie houses continue to survive. Shintomi-Za a little cinema in Ise, Japan, which does not belong to a major film distributor or production company, has fended for itself for 80 years with the patronage of local customers...

Source: It's not curtains yet for Japan's independent cinemas | Japan Times