The Oscar-winning movie "Okuribito" ("Departures") passed ¥6 billion in sales over the weekend after pulling in an estimated 5.25 million viewers, producer and distributor Shochiku Co. said Thursday.
However, director Yojiro Takita, 53, said he is not satisfied. He expected the numbers to be higher. A lot higher.
"The sales should have far exceeded ¥6 billion," given the Oscar effect, Takita said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. "This means few young Japanese have seen the film."