Theater operators are looking for new ways to use their facilities as they struggle to survive the decline in cinemagoers.
Aeon Entertainment Co., which operates 74 Aeon Cinema movie theater complexes in 30 of the 47 prefectures, screened nonconventional movies 119 times in the 2012 business year, about twice as many as the previous year. The subjects of the films ranged from music concerts and overseas ballet and opera performances to sports events.
The Aeon Cinema Kohoku New Town complex in Yokohama was jam-packed when it recently hosted a live concert broadcast of the Southern All Stars, one of Japan's top bands.