TOKYO -- Japan's B.O. for 2007 edged down 2.2% year-on to Y198 billion ($1.87 billion), according to figures released Thursday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren).

Admissions remained nearly the same, at 163 million, down just 0.8% from 2007. With only two pics earning more than the symbolic Y5 billion ($47 million), compared with six in 2006, the market share of Japanese pics slipped from 53% in 2006 to 48% in 2007. The number of pics released also fell slightly in the same period, from 821 to 810, with 407 of the 2007 total being local. The number of cinema screens in operation rose from 3,062 to 3,221.

The year's biggest hit according to Eiren was "Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End," with a gross of $103 million. The top-earning Japanese pic was

the legal thriller "Hero," which grossed $77 million.

A total of 29 pics scored 1 billion yen ($9.4 million) or better, while the corresponding number for foreign pics was 22. Once again, the top domestic distrib was Toho, which claimed nine of the top ten Japanese pics. Distribs of foreign pics shared top ten honors more equally, with Warner accounting for three ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Ocean's 13"), Walt Disney, two ("Pirates," "Ratatouille"), Sony Pictures two ("Spider-Man 3," "Resident Evil 3") and UIP ("Transformers") and Fox ("Night at the Museum") one each. None of the 29 pics in the billion-plus club was Asian.

Sales of video (DVD) software dropped across the board, with rental store sales falling 2.3% to $3.84 billion, the number of rentals falling 1.4% to 764 million and sell-DVD sales falling 2.6% to $2.35 billion.