The world premier of “War of the Worlds” will be held under the strict security of a war zone. Attendees will have to go through search and identification checks and will only be alowed to bring valuables into the screening. Even cigarette lighters and mobile phones will have to be checked in. The 900 or so guests will be surrounded by 400 security personnel and will have to pass through metal detectors and show photo ID. Among the very few people likely to be able to avoid all the hassle will be director Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning, who arrived at Narita Airport yesterday. The security measures are to prevent any pirating of the ¥14-billion blockbuster such as that which happened prior to the recent release of the final “Star Wars” movie. The event will be held tonight at the Ropongi Hills complex in central Tokyo instead of the 7,000 seater Nippon Budokan as had been planned. The worldwide official release date for the movie is June 29.
• The movie “Koshonin Mashita Masayoshi” (Negotiator, Mashita Masayoshi) looks to be the kind of success you’d expect from its pedigree. A spinoff from the hugely successful “Odoru Daisosasen” (Bayside Shakedown) movies, it’s set to become a series in its own right starring Yusuke Santamaria (photo, 34) and Mizuno Miki (30). As with yet another spinoff, “Yogisha Muroi Shinji” (Suspect, Muroi Shinji), scheduled to open in August, all the movies are produced by Fuji TV and set in the same Odaiba Tokyo bayside location as the company’s famous headquarters. The two “Odoru” movies are among the biggest ever domestic box office hits.