It’s hard to know how international audiences will respond to American movies.
Sometimes, what people in the United States respond to isn’t what people in other countries love and vice versa. Here is a list of Hollywood movies that didn’t do too well in the United States but earned major bucks internationally.
The White Buffalo
Charles Bronson was in some of the most popular movies of his time, but he was also in a few stinkers. “The White Buffalo” would have been one of his many stinkers, yet it won the hearts of people throughout Asia.
The movie came out in the late 70s, so most people forgot it existed, especially because it was a flop, yet it’s beloved in Asia. The movie was trying something new. It was trying to combine the western genre with horror.
It seems like Americans found that an odd combination and didn’t care for it, while many Asian countries did. It was popular in the Middle East and in Europe, too.
Warcraft
Back in 2016, a movie called “Warcraft” came out. The movie was part war epic, part fantasy. It was based on a popular computer strategy game, so expectations for the movie were low.
Hollywood doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to adapting games effectively. Still, Hollywood thought the movie had a chance of being successful because of the built-in fan base.
The movie cost a lot to make, so it needed a lot in return to make a profit, yet it flopped in the United States. The people hated the movie or didn’t know it was coming out. Reviews were brutal. The movie made money because of countries like China where it did well.
Mamma Mia!
“Mamma Mia!” was an okay movie. It has some of the biggest names like Meryl Streep, and all of these actors were singing their hearts out. A lot of people in the United States went to see the movie, but it didn’t win the hearts of the people.
In the UK, the movie became something else. It won the hearts of the people in that country, becoming a cult classic. Yes, people saw the movie in the United States, but most people here saw it and forgot about it.
The movie has become so popular in the UK that a “sing-along” version was released there, and it did very well. Some say the popularity involves ABBA, who is popular in the UK, and the movie featured a lot of songs from that band.
Robocop
“Robocop”, not the old one but the remake, was a movie about a cop who was injured on the job. The cop would have died on duty, but the power of technology kept the cop alive.
While the 1987 version is a cult classic many people love, the new version didn’t do too well in the United States.
People rejected the new one, maybe it was nostalgia for the older one or maybe they just didn’t like the character design. For whatever reason, Americans didn’t see the film. That did not happen in countries like China. The movie was a hit outside the United States.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'” stars some of America’s biggest names like Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton, yet it didn’t do too well in theaters.
Everything was there for this movie to be a big hit. Good people in front and behind the camera. The story was a familiar one, except with a bit of a twist.
There was a lot of action, yet the movie didn’t do too well. Out of its entire theater run, only 25 percent came from the US. It was a huge hit in places like Russia and Brazil.
Life of Pi
“Life of Pi” did okay in the States, but it was incredibly popular in places like China. The advertisers who worked on the movie said they were excited to see the results from their region to region marketing approach.
The advertisers said they highlighted the spiritual aspects of the film when advertising the movie in places like Europe and Asia.
When the movie was marketed in Latin America, the movie’s family values were put front and center. It seems like little changes like these made this movie be a big success internationally.
Joker
“Joker” was a hit everywhere, but it was an even bigger hit in places outside the United States. Something about the film just connected with many people throughout the world.
Yes, the movie was a superhero movie, but it was centered around one of the most interesting villains in comic books.
On top of that, the movie did try to comment on the state of the world today in many ways, and it forced people to understand this character.
These are just some of the movies folks outside this country loved, but there are many more like “John Carter” and “Transformers” just to name a few.