Sanford Panitch , President of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, talked about the power of Japanese IP – and how entertainment culture has become both more niche and more global – in a Cannes Marche keynote celebrating Japan as this year’s Country Of Honor.  He also talked about the resilience of theatrical releasing, as well as Sony’s decision to become a supplier to global streamers, rather than operate its own platform, noting that since the pandemic many franchises based on Japanese IP have had worldwide theatrical success.  “It’s incredibly challenging to have box office anymore without IP,” said Panitch, in conversation with entertainment consultant Atsuo Nakayama. “In the current marketplace and with the explosion of streaming, the bar for theatrical is so high now that IP has become super value.  “That’s where we’re seeing unique opportunity in Japan because of the fandom and fanship related to Japanese anime and IP,” he continued.…