The true worth of a film is... decided by youngsters in countries such as Russia, China and Brazil. Hollywood has always been an international business, but it is becoming dramatically more so. In the past decade total box-office spending has risen by about one-third in North America while more than doubling elsewhere.
Three things are particularly important: a cinema boom in the emerging world, a concerted effort by the major studios to make films that might play well outside America and a global marketing push to make sure they do.
Growing fears of piracy have led studios to release films almost simultaneously in many countries; increasingly, the premiere takes place outside America. Big noisy spectacle travels best. As the market swings away from America, funny films are less likely to find financing or broad distribution anywhere.
Read more at the Economist.
