It was probably to be expected, since Square has already pulled out of the movie business as a result of the resounding box-office failure of Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within, but it nonetheless comes as something of a surprise just how much money Square is going to lose on the film. Overall, the company is projecting a loss of 10 billion yen on the project, which, in American dollars, is a not-unconsiderable $82 million. Fortunately, the company expects to somewhat offset this loss on the power of its PlayStation 2 software, which have enjoyed increased sales. All told, this should offset the 10 billion yen loss by 6.4 billion yen, bringing the net loss to 3.6 billion yen, or just under $29.8 million US. This is largely on the strength of Final Fantasy X, which has shipped an impressive 2.5 million copies to date in Japan.

Square's forecast continues to look up in the aftermath of their failed venture into the film industry. The company is expecting a strong response to their year-end titles, including All-Star Pro Wrestling II and Kingdom Hearts, which should further bolster the numbers going into 2002.