Japan’s independent cinemas (“mini-theaters” in the local parlance) are havens for fans of arthouse films, but many are facing precarious financial times. Factors like streaming services and the COVID-19 pandemic hit Japanese moviegoing hard: In 2024, the latest year on record, total admissions were still at less than 75% of pre-pandemic levels.
With massive hits like “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,” this year’s numbers will probably be better, but that’s little solace for mini-theaters, which specialize in smaller, independent films. In 2025, two long-running mini-theaters in Tokyo, Shinjuku’s Cinema Qualite and Ikebukuro’s Cinema Libre, announced they were closing their doors.
On the other hand, Tokyo has seen a few new mini-theaters open in the past few years, including K2 Cinema in Shimokitazawa and Stranger in Kikukawa, both in 2022. The newest addition to Tokyo’s independent cinema scene is CineMalice, which is set to open Dec. 19 in Jimbocho, the bookstore-laden enclave recently dubbed the world’s coolest neighborhood by Time Out.
AloJapan.com