“US To Account For Just 30% Of Box Office”
Per Deadline:
Overseas income will continue to rise, according to consultants Screen Digest. The US share of box office will fall to 30% by 2014. America accounted for 33% of global box office revenue in 2009, down from 40% a decade ago.
A commenter had more comprehensive numbers:
In 2009, the films of the six major studios generated box office of approximately $8.9 billion in the US and Canada, while taking in $11.7 billion overseas. That is a worldwide box office of $20.6 billion for the majors, of which 43.2% came from the US and Canada. You can estimate that 40% (at least) came from the US alone.
If 1) you add in the box office generated by independent films and the films of the non-major distributors to the US/Canada box office total, and 2) you add in the box office generated by US independent films and foreign film productions to the overseas box office total, the figures for 2009 change. The US/Canadian box office jumps to $10.6 billion while overseas box office hits approximately $18.2 billion. That is a worldwide box office for all films of $28.8 billion, of which 36.8% comes from the US and Canada (perhaps 34% to 35% is from the US alone).
A couple of things. First, it’s remarkable how radically the global box office has changed in just 25 years. Back in 1985, if I recall correctly, domestic box office accounted for 65% of Hollywood’s annual receipts for movies produced with 35% for what they used to call “overseas” markets. Those percentages have basically reversed. Second, the Deadline article notes several countries with big growth patterns including Russia, Romania, China, Columbia, and Slovakia.
But the final thing is the obvious question a screenwriter should ask: What does this trend mean for me when writing an original screenplay? On the one hand, the conventional wisdom is that international markets like big Hollywood spectacles, especially action and sci-fi, and that comedies, which are more cultural specific, don’t ‘travel’ as well outside the United States. But what if you crafted a smaller, more character-based story set in Russia or China or Japan — maybe that would help tilt potential investors or buyers into saying “yes” on script. Another thing: Should these numbers impact what types of characters we choose to inhabit our stories? For example, might a script receive a better reception at a studio if it features an ethnically diverse group representing key countries like the U.S., Japan, the U.K., and Asia? Look at Inception: You have Cobb, Arthur, and Ariadne (U.S.), Saito (Japan), Eames (U.K.), and Yusuf (Asia).
What do you think? Should the growing international box office impact how you think about the next script you write? If so, how? If not, why not?