| With Final
Fantasy: The Spirits Within dying a
quick death at the box
office--going into its third week
of release, the film is in 9th
place and has only grossed $26.8
million--the film's overseas
reception becomes all the more
crucial for Square. Luckily,
unlike North America's tepid
response to it, FF:TSW looks to
have a bright future when it is
released in Japanese cinemas
sometime this fall. Japanese
audiences already await the film
with bated breath, according to
an article in Core
Magazine, with Square
currently selling advance tickets
at twenty-two theaters throughout
Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya,
Kyushu, and Hokkaido. As is often
the case in Japan, preordering
means much more than cementing
one's place in the audience on
opening night. Each advance
ticket is also a collector's item
featuring cast portraits and
grouped by themes such as
"Love" and
"Friendship."
Additionally, every customer who
purchases an advanced ticket is
automatically entered into a
lottery with a chance to win
Seiko's limited edition Final
Fantasy watch. Based on the
model worn by main character Aki
in the film, the highly sought
after item was previously
reported as selling for
$199.00 in the U.S.
With
such excellent promotions and
high anticipation, Square
Pictures may yet reap the rewards
of a successful film.
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