Japanese movie experience

What's it like to see a movie in Japan?
Specifically:
-How much does a ticket cost? (Yen amount is fine.)
-Are refreshments available inside the theatre?
-How big is the theatre? (How many screens, etc.)
-How big is the actual room where the movie is shown?
-How does the audience behave?

Other questions:
-What is the rating system for movies in Japan?
-What kind of promotions are done before a movie is released?
Any other information would be appreciated.

I have found going to the movies in Japan to be very much like it is in my home country (New Zealand), or other countries I have been to the movies in (UK, Australia, Spain, the US).

A ticket usually costs 1800 yen, although a few days a month you can get in for 1000 yen, although that discount is sometimes only for women (Ladies Day)

There are the typical snacks sold- popcorn, Coke, icecream, chips etc i.e. junkfood. The theatres vary, same as they do where I come from- they may be multiscreen complexes with hundreds of seats in each theatre, or a mix of bigger and smaller, or there are the arthouse theatres with just one screen and less than 100 seats. Two or three screens is probably typical.

The audience usually watches quietly, laughing when sppropriate if it's a comedy, much the same as where I come from, If they talk it is usually just to whisper something to the person next to them.

People do seem a bit more likely to stay to the end of the credits than where I come from, I have noticed.

As for the rating system, have you tried an internet search on this? You might come up with some quite detailed info.

Promotion is also very similar to other countries- the actors and directors often give a press conference, there are TV and other mass media ads, billboards, product tie-ins, associations with McDonalds or Coke etc depending on the movie.

Thanks, that was very helpful.
Does anyone have anything else they could add?

sira pretty much summed it up. The only things I can think of are that the movies from foreign countries are usually subtitled in Japanese but with their original audio. However they are occasionally dubbed. The schedule should specify which screen is playing which version.

also, all the seats in the theater are reserved and you choose your seat when you buy your ticket. You can order them online in advance to get the best seats and then arrive just as the movie starts.

Seats are not always reserved, especially if the movie has been running for a while. I saw Beowulf last Friday on its last day and we sat anywhere we wanted. Same when I saw An Inconvenient Truth last year.

that's interesting to hear. I personally haven't experienced unreserved seats and was surprised to find that they were reserved when I saw my first movie in Japan.

Just want to relate my cinema experience in Japan. I was in Hiroshima last year wanted to watch " Letters from Iwojima". I bought the ticket and seated for the curtain to raise ( it was free seating ). After a few minutes, the guy who sold me the ticket came right to me and said the movie was in Japanese with no English subtitles. If I wished not to watch the movie, he could refund the money to me. What surprised me was I don't remember saying anything to him when purchasing the ticket ( I am an Asian). Second, how on earth could he find me sitting inside the dark theater with so many other audience ? That was really quite an amazing experience though I stayed and watched the movie. By the way, the cinema is located inside the Hiroshima station shopping complex.

Sira said it.

The only differences from watching a movie in Japan vs in the US for me was:
1. Everything was in Japanese (of course).
2. It was a lot more expensive.