[/floatl]ZakZak reports (Japanese) that Gaga Communications will withdraw from the film production and purchasing business at the end of August. The company's finances have often been in a precarious position but they did have some notable successes such as introducing Hollywood hits like "Se7en" and "Hannibal" to Japanese audiences. The company became a subsidiary of USEN after losing heavily on "Van Helsing" but rebounded with the major hit "Shall We Dance?". The price of films has risen lately as there are more potential buyers so the potential losses from judging the market wrongly have spiralled. This year, Gaga promoted the fantasy epic "The Golden Compass" but it underperformed at the box office which appears to have been the final straw for USEN. Gaga still has some films scheduled for later this year including the new "Rambo" and "Sex and the City" but it looks like their roller coaster ride is now over. One industry journalist claims that, except for Toho, these are difficult times for all companies in the film business.