If you think the national news media is biased, spend some time rummaging through the world of entertainment news. Today’s L.A. Times piece about the marketing of “G.I. Joe” has an especially priceless whopper:
Yet overseas, where big action films often earn 60% or more of their ticket sales, rah-rah American sentiment doesn’t play well. So those references have vanished from the advertising.
The Great Lie told by Leftist Hollywood and the media who shill for them is that in order to make money the likes and dislikes of an “international” audience must be considered, and international audiences loathe Americanism.
Let’s see how that’s working out with some overseas numbers for a few “big action films.”
To excuse the stripping of Superman’s Americanism (and masculinity), a lot of fanfare was made over the need for “Superman Returns” to appeal to the foreign box office, and yet the film bombed both here and abroad, making only $191 million overseas.
Compare that to the international box-office for Sam Raimi’s ”Spider-Man” trilogy, which never shied from its hero’s unique Americanism or an iconic shot of the stars and stripes:
Spider-Man: $418 million
Spider-Man II: $410 million
Spider-Man III: $554 million
Some will argue ”Spider-Man” doesn’t quite qualify as “rah-rah.” If Hollywood actually produced true “rah-rah” there might be stronger examples, but here’s the international box-office for some “big action” films from the last fifteen years unafraid, and in some cases proud, of their Americanism:
National Treasure: $174 million
National Treasure II: $237 million
Pearl Harbor: $251 million
Armageddon: $352 million
Independence Day: $511 million
I Am Legend: $329 million
Hancock: $396 million
Hollywood’s concern over “international box office” holds even less water when looked at another way. If overseas box-office is such an important factor, can someone explain this years-long glut of anti-American films we find ourselves in?
At best, Leftists can argue “pro rah-rah” is a box-office wash outside the states, but “anti-rah-rah” has zero appeal to international audiences, and yet Hollywood refuses to stop making them. Here are the overseas numbers for those with so-called “bankable” stars attached:
Lions for Lambs: $43 million
In the Valley of Elah: $22 million
Rendition: $17 million
Stop-Loss: $291 thousand
Body of Lies: $75 million
A Mighty Heart: $9 million
Grace is Gone: $887 thousand
Don’t confuse my argument here. I am not saying ”rah-rah American sentiment” does sell overseas What I’m arguing is that it’s wholly dishonest for anyone to flatly and matter-of-factly state it does not.
If a “big action” movie kicks ass, no one cares about “American sentiment.” Except, of course, the anti-American Leftists currently controlling the levers of media and entertainment power; those who know very well ”rah-rah” does increase ticket sales here in the states. After all, the entire ”G.I. Joe” marketing campaign is counting on it.
This myth about international box-office was created to give Hollywood a “business” excuse when they refuse to portray America in a positive light or turn Superman into a flying symbol of United Nations conflicted meterosexuality. The unquestioning entertainment media jumps right on board because it’s yet another way for them to spread dishonest propaganda regarding America’s unpopularity overseas.
Except at the box office, it’s a win-win.
The above was originally published on August 3 at Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood blog.
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Hollywood is part of one of
August 4, 2009 - 10:38 ET by mattmHollywood is part of one of the 3 branches of the left-wing propaganda machine: The News media, the Entertainment media, and the Government-funded School system.
Oh Matt,
August 4, 2009 - 12:39 ET by boomerconThat's absolutely perfectly encapsulated. Nice.
I remember a few years ago
August 4, 2009 - 10:53 ET by ex buff e-dubI remember a few years ago they'd made a Superman flick, and stripped it of its "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" tagline based on this attitude. As I recall, it too bombed..
I have an idea for Hollywood...
August 4, 2009 - 11:24 ET by c5thenWhy not just make movies about all those European and Asian superheros that we all grew up reading about for their over seas audience?
/sarc off
Throw 'da bums out!
no incumbent re-elected, with very few exceptions!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
Well, there was the US
August 4, 2009 - 13:56 ET by jazzact13Well, there was the US attempt at a Godzilla movie, but it was...rather bad. I did like the creature, but the movie itself was just poorly done--bad story, too much bad cheese, and the monster breathed fire only twice. And anyway, the real Godzilla goes through buildings, not down streets.
Almost as bad as Japanese attempts at King Kong movies. And if you think I'm making that up, find the classically bad "King Kong Escapes".
"Thoroughly worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true."
Chesterton, Orthodoxy
So Euros loathe Americanism, huh?
August 4, 2009 - 11:30 ET by SickofLibsThat would explain why Zero brought out all the adoring Euro crowds.
Fine. Give us back our iPods, Coca Cola and Levis, and you can have Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn.
Be afraid, evildoers...
August 4, 2009 - 12:10 ET by Ken Shepherd...Captain Euro will pursue you 'til the ends of the Earth. After a 2-hour lunch break, a pack of cigarettes, and a few glasses of wine.
http://www.in-sect.c...
Oh, good stuff here. GI
August 4, 2009 - 12:22 ET by Another Dead KennedyOh, good stuff here. GI Joe is based on the 80s cartoon series and toy line. The characters in the movie are instantly recognizable to any male who grew up and was age appropriate during the decade. This movie is nothing more than the next superhero/comic summer blockbuster, only it's aimed at a much smaller audience despite the huge budget. We'll know the movie's success in about 2 months after the international box office slows.
As for the comparison between the Spiderman series and Superman Returns, dare I state the obvious? Superman sucked, and the Spidey series, minus the 3rd were great movies. Anyone can make a movie. I love how the argument always turns back to leftist Hollywood only making movies that further their agenda. When roughly half the country is considered conservative, it's not a stretch to suggest that those roughly 150 million Americans are more than free to make as many movies as they'd like. Hollywood only cares about one thing: money. If you make a movie that can make money, the message doesn't matter. And if Hollywood is such a problem, stop buying their product.
"If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen." Ronald Reagan
You missed 2 big ones...
August 4, 2009 - 12:41 ET by GordyOn the 'rah rah' America and 'rah rah' US Military front, there are Transformers 1 & 2. Two big international blockbusters ($400 million each in international sales, so far) that 'brought the rain' in Red, White, Blue, and Olive Drab all over the world. And they had robots.
-gordy.
The reason Superman bombed
August 4, 2009 - 14:10 ET by balboaThe reason Superman bombed has nothing to do with "stripping the Americanism" from the movie, and more to do with Superman being a pretty dull character, a no-name playing Superman, and a ho-hum story.
I think marketers really tend to over-think the impact of this stuff. "Americanism" they think wouldn't sell overseas looks more like a 2-hour tribute to Sousa marches than anything included / not included in the latest GI Joe movie.
Rah-Rah!!!!
August 4, 2009 - 14:48 ET by jessieHRah-Rah!!!!!!! Patriot & Proud!
Superman Returns failed
August 4, 2009 - 16:18 ET by DarasenSuperman Returns failed largely because it stripped what makes Superman Superman. They completely did away with his patriotism and his masculinity and the movie suffered for it.A more tradionally "rah rah" Superman would have been far more recognizable to the audience.
Superman's patriotism was
August 4, 2009 - 19:56 ET by balboaSuperman's patriotism was not an overwhelming trait that you saw all the time. It was the same Superman, which means the good with the bad. It's just a dull character.
I could care less about
August 5, 2009 - 03:05 ET by DoktorFrankenI could care less about what Europe or the world thinks about America and it's movies. Deep in their minds they KNOW that America has always been there to fight and defeat evil. In other words, to save their sorry butts.
Things are different now. We have an apologist for president and America is dwindling away. Now the world will have to fight or go ''French''.
America wants to be Great Again.
August 5, 2009 - 07:30 ET by ZacraDo you remember growing up in the 70's and 80's when words like Communism and Socialism were associated with Men like Castro and Stalin? The words were synonymous with evil, and outright anti-american. Do you remember saying your pledge of allegiance to start the school day? You probably didn't understand the words completely, but it didn't matter you stood you placed your hand over your heart and you recited the words with every other kid in your class because that is what American kids did. You understood that "One nation under God" meant your God, whatever God that was or wasn't - because religious freedom was one of the many great principles that America was founded on. There was a sense of pride when you sang the Star Spangled Banner. That was when America knew she was great and it was O.K. to be patriotic, to say the pledge to have a sense of pride in knowing that you were from the greatest and Freest Nation on the planet. The Bible was as sacred as the Koran in those days, it was protected by decency. Remember when the Flag was?
I do not know what happened, I swear I only turned away for a moment. Suddenly we have replaced the Pledge with "quiet time" or removed the words "under God". The Bible is a club now; used by Presidential candidates and Gossip Columnists like Katie Couric to proclaim opponents are "Bible thumping, gun toting" crazies. Quotes from the book are scrubbed from public places and the book itself is removed from library book shelves. Disrespect for the Koran is "outrageous" and disrespect for the Bible or the Flag is "free speech". They have chipped away at our constitution, weakened our liberties, destroyed family values and painted the American dream of prosperity as "obscene". They have reinvented the racial tensions to exasperate the guilt and outrage the victims. They have begun to ask "what's wrong with socialism" and dictate pay scales to Private citizens. We are creating Czars with no constitutional constraints on their powers and fundamentally changing the government without over site, authority or transparency. What the 111th National Congress is doing has stained the country, but it has reignited the flames of passion in the American people to be American again. If Congress fails to head the call of the new Patriots it does so at it's own Risk. This country has found a new longing to be Great Again.
"Americanism" doesn't sell? Tell that to The Clown, fool!
August 5, 2009 - 15:43 ET by CobraMan"Americanism" doesn't sell? Tell that to Mc Donalds!
In how many countries does McDonald's operate?
McDonald's operates in more than 119 countries on six continents. Source
You can't get much more Americanized than Mc Donalds.
How many customers does McDonald's serve every day around the world?
Every day McDonald's serves more than 47 million customers around the world.
47 million customers a day can't be wrong.
So, tell me again how Americanism doesn't sell?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
For example, I like French
August 5, 2009 - 16:42 ET by RR GOPFor example, I like French people and their culture-but I don't like their politics. One on one we'd get along fine. I've met many foreign people and the vast majority have been friendly regardless of where they came from. Every society has their people that suck.
Clearly people overseas generally like Americans and American culture...look at all the fake discs copied and sold overseas that the RIAA and the MPAA are always whining about.
Since few of us here or there ever actually hang around each other, we tend to perceive that there are vast differences when there really aren't. Also, consider that we view each other through the Hollywood prism.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
look at all the fake discs
August 5, 2009 - 18:58 ET by Another Dead Kennedylook at all the fake discs copied and sold overseas that the RIAA and the MPAA are always whining about.
The reason the MPAA is interested in this is because it affects our industry as a whole. See, the majority of people who work in Hollywood in movies and TV are union members. We're paid residuals based on the profits of the shows we produce in the form of our pension and health care. When foreign counties steal our products, our pensions are affected as well as our health care. It's more than whining, and it affects hundreds of thousands of hard working people. Same applies to anyone in this country who feels they can illegally download movies because, gosh, why pay when you can steal it???
"If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen." Ronald Reagan