The Great Lie: ‘Americanism’ Doesn’t Sell Overseas

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.