Charting the new globe-trotting science of moviemaking
Today, movies generate 70 percent of their revenue abroad. This has Hollywood
studios playing to the tastes of viewers from São Paulo to South Korea—and
employing all sorts of savvy new rules to build global box-office sensations.
SCREENPLAY
Set the Movie in a Growing Market—or Nowhere.
Two of last year’s highest-grossing movies, Fast Five and Rio, were set in Brazil, a
rapidly expanding market. Three of the most successful Hollywood ventures of all
time—Harry Potter, Avatar, and Lord of the Rings—take place in fantasy worlds that
are home to more than one nationality.
Riff on an Established Enterprise.
In an effort to revive its tired action-figure brand, the toy giant Hasbro joined forces
with Paramount and DreamWorks to make Transformers. Result: box-office and toy
sales both soared, especially overseas.
Don’t Offend Billions of Would-Be Viewers.
MGM’s yet-to-be-released update of the Cold War thriller Red Dawn was originally
shot with Chinese villains instead of Soviets. In deference to China’s growing clout,
MGM turned the bad guys into North Koreans during editing.
CASTING
You Always Want Will Smith.
Long known as the only remaining golden ticket in Hollywood, Smith appears in
relatively few roles—the better to maintain his global winning streak.
Except When You Don’t.
For fantasy and superhero franchises, a fresh face is ideal—especially if accompanied
by a British or Australian accent, which can feel more universal than an American
one.
But the Right Co-Star Can Make Anyone Bankable.
Adam Sandler has a solid global track record largely because of his co-stars—Salma
Hayek in 2010’s Grown Ups and Eugenio Derbez, a popular Mexican comic, in last
year’s Jack and Jill ensured large audiences in Latin America.
Dub Animated Movies With Local Actors—or Hire Bilingual Superstars
From the Start.
When DreamWorks Animation added Antonio Banderes’s Puss in Boots character to
the second Shrek movie, box-office sales tripled in Spain and doubled in Mexico and
Brazil. Banderas’s Puss in Boots spin-off has so far earned 72 percent of its $500-
million-plus box-office haul abroad.
PRODUCTION
Film in 3-D and IMAX.
Less than 20 percent of 2011 U.S. box-office sales came from 3-D movies, but in
booming markets like Russia, Brazil, and China—where 40 percent of 2011 box-office
sales were from 3-D films—novelty cannot be overvalued or underdone.
Shoot in as Many Cities as Possible.
After Cars, Pixar’s 2006 paean to American auto culture, underperformed abroad,
the studio set the sequel in Paris, London, and Tokyo and on the Italian Riviera.
Take Advantage of Foreign Labor.
Since Peter Jackson launched the Lord of the Rings trilogy from New Zealand,
fantasy directors have been lured there by CGI expertise and tax breaks. At one point,
Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron were simultaneously making global
blockbusters in the 200,000-person city of Wellington.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT & LICENSING
Pepper the Film With International Brands.
When a character gulped a Shuhua low-lactose milk in the latest Transformers
movie, DreamWorks and the Chinese dairy company Yili Group both benefited—the
latter from pitching its product to Chinese viewers, who spent an astounding $146
million on tickets, and the former from charging Yili big bucks for the privilege.
The Toys Can Make the Movie.
Cars performed less well than Pixar’s other films and received middling reviews, but
it sold more than $10 billion worth of merchandise—thus guaranteeing a sequel. To
maximize licensing opportunities, Cars 2 introduced a fleet of foreign characters,
including a Citroën, a Honda, a Ferrari, and an Aston Martin.
MARKETING & RELEASE
Choose Politically Benign Titles.
When releasing Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel worried about an anti-
American reflex in Russia, Ukraine, and South Korea—so the movie was simply
called The First Avenger in those markets.
Parade Your Stars Around the World.
In 2005, long before Brazil became the box-office behemouth it is today, Will Smith
flew to Rio to promote Hitch during Carnival. Today, promotional stops in Rio—and
in Mexico and Russia—are nearly mandatory for actors.
Use Release Schedules and Premieres to Send a Message.
The U.S. release of Steven Spielberg’s Tintin, based on a comic beloved in Europe but
largely unknown in the States, was almost an afterthought, scheduled two months
after the movie’s European premiere.
Studios now choose premiere locales by box-office power: Fast Five and Rio opened
in (of course) Rio; Mission Impossible—Ghost Protocol in Dubai; and Transformers:
Dark of the Moon in Moscow.
Nicole Allan is an Atlantic senior editor – 25 April 2012.