Box Office Revenue: North America vs. Foreign - America isn't Always First

Box Office Revenue: North America vs. Foreign - America isn't Always First

By the time director Steven Spielberg walks the red carpet on Dec. 11 for the New York premiere of his animated movie The Adventures of Tintin, the film about a boy reporter in search of sunken treasure will already have sold well over $200 million in tickets—all far from the U.S.

By SuperArgo - Dec 13, 2011 08:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: ComicBookMovie.com

The film opened first in Europe in late October, then, three weeks later, in Asia. When U.S. audiences get their first peek at Tintin and his fox terrier Snowy on Dec. 21, the film will already have played in more than 50 countries, including France, Germany, China, Japan, and even tiny Estonia.



U.S. studios are simply following the money. This year, moviegoers in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia will spend a combined $21 billion on movie tickets, nearly twice as much as the $12.2 billion spent in the U.S. and Canada, according to consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers. Box-office sales in some big emerging economies will grow by double digits annually through 2015, PwC predicts.



Paramount Pictures’ (VIAB) Tom Cruise action film Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, will open in France, Germany, and Japan ahead of its Dec. 21 release in the U.S. Sony plans to release the James Bond thriller Skyfall in Europe next October, two weeks ahead of the U.S. debut. That will boost ticket sales during midterm school breaks in the U.K., France, and elsewhere, Blake says. “We keep a very large calendar of events all over the world,” says David Kosse, president of international distribution at Universal Pictures (CMCSA).

Hollywood is already raking in foreign cash. In April, Universal released its car-racing heist movie Fast Five in the U.K., Australia, and South Korea before its U.S. release in late April. It collected $626 million in worldwide ticket sales, $416 million of which came from outside the U.S., according to researcher Box Office Mojo.



Thor took in $267.5 million of its $448 million global haul from foreign sales, according to Box Office Mojo.



If you are in India and got bored of looking at all the promotion of Ra.One everywhere, and have been dying to see some “REAL” superhero.

Here is the first look of the ultimate Superhero film and probably the biggest ever in the history....
Which will have team of Superheroes (Can you Imagine ?? TEAM)

The Hulk/Bruce Banner(Mark Ruffalo),
Iron Man(Robert Downey),
Thor(Chris Hemsworth),
Captain America(Chris Evans),
Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson ),
Hawkeye(Jeremy Renner),
Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson),
And
Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg)
and the Film will be directed by Joss Whedon.



Release date in India is – April 27, 2012. and probably releasing in four languages – English, Hindi ,Tamil and Tellugu.

This is a full week before it’s May 4,2012 release date in the United States….Meh! America aint the best no more.

The bottom line: The Adventures of Tintin, a film to be released in the U.S. at Christmas, has already logged $207 million in foreign ticket sales...ARGO OUT!!
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ballstothewall
ballstothewall - 12/13/2011, 8:27 AM
The Tin Tin movie here in Thailand is also coming out at the same release date as the US... Oh well,Lets see if The Avengers would beat The Dark Knight and Avatar for the highest grossing SUPERHERO movie of all time!!! So [frick]ing HYPED!
redleaf
redleaf - 12/13/2011, 9:57 AM
You mean like Harry Potter? Oh wait...

Hollywood is American and the target audience is mainly Americans. What's the problem? You have British actors in a ton of lead roles. No reason to complain.

ecksmanfan
ecksmanfan - 12/13/2011, 10:02 AM
We are getting more movies like a sequel to Chronicles of Narnia and Madagascar only because of the foreign box office. The over seas box office is becoming a major player in how studios distribute films,like it or not
jazzman
jazzman - 12/13/2011, 10:12 AM
@redleaf

your so wrong. yes Hollywood is American but the target audience is not mainly Americans. the target audience is International. if they only focus on American Hollywood would be broke.
KingKazma
KingKazma - 12/13/2011, 10:14 AM
Heres an idea Hollywood... Just release the damn big movies all on the same [frick]ing day!
HughJasol
HughJasol - 12/13/2011, 10:20 AM
Hey, you don't like 'Merica then you can GET OUT!
MassExecutions
MassExecutions - 12/13/2011, 10:28 AM
Are these numbers gross or net? What about revenue per person in North America? North America only has 7% of the worlds population, but provides 37% of the revenue. Think about THAT! I'd like to see cost per ticket sold in other counties vs US. That would really tell the tale. Where do you have to send the least money for the most return, and still have enough audience to make your money back. Gotta apply some critical thinking skills to this.
BigK1337
BigK1337 - 12/13/2011, 10:29 AM
@HughJasol
Lol, South Park!


werty
werty - 12/13/2011, 10:36 AM
For the record [frick] Tin Tin
Polygame
Polygame - 12/13/2011, 11:10 AM
Sometime I feel this forum is filled with 8 years old.
There is a lot happening outside the US, you know?

...and yes! Hollywood is international. For instance, Do you know how many Hollywood film are made in Montreal...you know that little place up north in Canada?
WarnerBrother
WarnerBrother - 12/13/2011, 11:17 AM
@jazzman I'm afraid you are wrong here.If anything this shows the global domination of American popular culture.More people drink Coca-Cola and eat McDonalds world wide then Americans yet nobody would not consider them symbols of America.Why else would French guys burn down Mickey D's when they strike every two weeks? True, if you put Europe,China,India and Latin American markets together you add up to a lot more movie goers then North America,but the films(outside of Potter and Tintin a few others) are made with Americans in mind first. Look at the American marketing for Tintin,its all about Spielberg.Why? because he's the king of American movie pop culture.The message is you may not know a thing about Tintin,but you can trust that the movie will be cool because Spielberg is directing it.
WarnerBrother
WarnerBrother - 12/13/2011, 11:22 AM
@Polygame

Your missing the point,where the film is made is irrelevant .Who is making the film is everything.A big chunk of Hollywood films are shot in Canada and Austraila to keep down cut on costs but the studios making them are based in the USA.Years ago there was a huge British film industry,what happened to it? It got run into the ground competing against Hollywood.
jazzman
jazzman - 12/13/2011, 12:08 PM
@blkyank

sorry but these movies are not made in Americans in mind anymore. the leading actors who dominate are British and Australian actors. yes Spielberg directed Tin Tin but who is the producers and writers guess who. the producer is Peter Jackson and writers are 3 British guys Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. if Tin Tin was made in Americans in mind all the writers, producers, and actors would all be a American.

no matter what Hollywood can not focus solely on the American audience but International audience.
MassExecutions
MassExecutions - 12/13/2011, 12:11 PM
@SuperArgo - Sure, sure. Still a good article.

@blkyank - Too true.
DarthDan
DarthDan - 12/13/2011, 12:40 PM
Wait, so the villian in AVENGERS is a Nazi Kittie Tank?
OptimusBurgundyMaximus
OptimusBurgundyMaximus - 12/13/2011, 12:45 PM
ENGLAND WINS AGAIN!!!!!!
OptimusBurgundyMaximus
OptimusBurgundyMaximus - 12/13/2011, 12:59 PM
this article is a lie ....America is always first

In Obesity and Retartdness xD
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 12/13/2011, 1:09 PM
There's no question that the foreign box office has exploded in the last decade. However, an insane percentage of a film's total gross still comes from one territory: North America.

I honestly think that it's bad business for the studios to undercut the North American release of their films by opening in one or two foreign markets first. Thor's entire gross in India was a whopping $1 million, lifetime. That's it. What is the purpose of having the Avengers premiere there?

The internet makes for a global community, so the moment The Avengers is playing for one audience, we'll all hear about it. I remember that with "Iron Man 2", the movie was hashed out to death online long before it premiered in the US. That saps the urge to rush to a theater to see something opening weekend when it already seems like old news by the time you get the chance. So why is that bad? If the Avengers US opening (sure to be over $100m, I would think) is negatively effected even 1%, then the studio will lose more money than if they had skipped opening in India *entirely*.

The best experts are often off by $10m or more when predicting the opening weekends of major tentpole films in the US because there's so much room for the audience to sway one way or another. It's a volatile market. I wouldn't premiere my film in any market where the total lifetime gross of the flick is likely to be less than the margin for error in the opening weekend alone from North America.

Ideally, everyone worldwide would get the chance to see these films on the same date. I'm not arguing that North America has some kind of right to see these things first. I'm just saying that, from a pure business decision, I find some of these foreign premieres to be completely baffling.
WarnerBrother
WarnerBrother - 12/13/2011, 5:01 PM
@jazzman

I'm afraid you mistook my point.I used Tintin as an example of a film aimed at an international audience that had to be marketed to an American market not on it's merit but on the cred of it's director.As far as British and Australian actors dominating, I have to differ.Sure Superman,Spider-Man,Batman,Green Lantern and Thor are played by non Americans,but using your measuring stick most of those films are written,directed,and produced by Yanks.The biggest movie every was written and directed by an American (Avatar)I have no problem sharing my toys with our friends from overseas and welcome their input on my beloved American pop culture.We still have plenty of homegrown yank talent like Chris Pine,Chris Evans,Jeremy Renner,Armie Hammer,RDJ,Johnny Depp,Michael Shannon and others to play our Icons as well.See we Americans are open to the best talent getting a shot at the brass ring.If only JK Rowling were as open to American actors getting a shot on the potter films.BTW the American box office will soon be dominated by Sherlock Holmes(played by an American) and Mission Impossible starring an American actor bigger then most British or Aussie guys,Tom Cruise.
luckylu
luckylu - 12/13/2011, 5:01 PM
i have no idea what movie prices are like for the rest of the world but i know that i only go to the theaters maybe twice a year cause i end up spending about 25-30 dollars for a ticket and popcorn.
mstaley3000
mstaley3000 - 12/13/2011, 10:48 PM
I feel sorry for the rest of the world. Only France has figured out the threat from American culture and they are powerless to stop us. Their only hope is to make movies that we, in the US, will enjoy (and food too).
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