Suncity Group is looking to expand its film and entertainment arm, Sun Entertainment Culture, into Japan.
Suncity Group, one of two global gaming and leisure investors bidding to develop an IR in Wakayama, is already pressing ahead with plans to expand its film and entertainment arm into Japan.
Sun Entertainment Culture (Japan) Limited was recently established as a vehicle for promoting Suncity’s Japanese and Asian entertainment business in the future. Running alongside Sun Entertainment’s accomplished Hong Kong arm, the company aims to introduce performances from Hong Kong, Macau and other Southeast Asia regions to Japan, including Broadway shows, international dramas and large-scale exhibitions.
“We want to bring some incredible new masterpieces to the Japanese market and select some potential Asian films for the market as well,” Suncity explains.
“We also hope to cooperate with local entertainment enterprises to produce entertainment projects with Japanese cultural elements. Together we believe our experience will help the business expand from Southeast Asia into more international markets.”
Established in 2011, Sun Entertainment Limited’s core businesses covers Hong Kong, Beijing, Chengdu, Macau, Taiwan and Los Angeles with the company having produced around 65 films in that time, grossing almost US$1.7 billion at the box office. Those films include the popular “From Vegas to Macau” trilogy, “Paradox” which won a number of honors at The 12th Asian Film Awards and “Operation Red Sea” which grossed over US$500,000 in mainland China.
Sun Entertainment has also organized more than 110 concerts and music festivals in Hong Kong and Macau and since 2019 more than 20 across Southeast Asia.
The ambition, Suncity says, is to “tap into Japan’s diversified entertainment market and related industries.
“In addition to concerts, high-priority investment targets include Broadway and foreign stage productions and large-scale exhibitions, with the aim of injecting fresh impetus into the Japanese performing arts industry with the expectation of producing larger economic benefits,” the company told IAG.
“Japan is one of our key markets. With the advantages of the popularity and prosperity of the Japanese entertainment industry plus the benefits from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and legalization of gambling in Japan, we believe there will be more promotion of the Japanese tourism industry.
“The performance and film business is essential to the IR industry and with its diverse cultural background, Japan has demonstrated a high degree of interest in movies, concerts and exhibitions compared to other Asian countries.”
