Exportability of Films in a Globalizing Market: The Intersection of Nation and Genre

While the dominance of the Hollywood major studios in the global film market is a well-known fact, less is known about the patterns of exportability by film genre and by nation. Here I present data pertaining to cross-national comparisons between France and the United States, as well as relevant global market figures for US films by genre. The findings challenge the assumption that specific genres, notably comedy, do not export. Rather, it appears that most US comedies that are successful in the States, like most other genres of US films, do and are exported. The case for France, however, appears quite different, insofar as the top films, which were overwhelmingly also comedies, did not export. Exports in the French case were more characteristic of niche marketing: namely quality nature films that could be easily translated, and films that fit specific cultural expectations (Barnier and Moine, 2002; Frodon, 1998). This research also suggests that the traditional confrontation of theoretical approaches (cultural imperialist, cultural studies, and the economic approach) fits neither the current situation of a globalizing industry nor the cultural complexity of many films, but that a more nuanced approach should focus on strategies available to different players and relationships formed among producers and between producers and specific markets.