American blockbusters abroad

By: Bella Dalba

         Have you ever wondered why American made movies don’t actually premiere in America? Marvel's The Avengers opened a week earlier in foreign markets before its U.S. premiere, as did Battleship, Thor, Iron Man 3, and Star Trek: Into Darkness. Not long ago, homegrown Hollywood blockbusters like these would have opened in America first, or opened everywhere in the world on the same day (a measure that not only created worldwide hype for the films, but also thwarted pirates who might have taken advantage of the release-date gap to flood other countries with bootleg DVDs). This trend has become increasingly common, but why does Hollywood now make America wait to see its own movies?
           If we disregard the rare example of trying to avoid a scheduling conflict in another continent, such as a major sporting event that might keep audiences away during a certain time period, there is an obvious, deliberate business decision at play here.  The trend is growing, and there are a number of reasons why.
            More than anything else, the shift reflects how the international market has eclipsed the domestic market as the main source of revenue for mainstream theatrical releases. Studio films are often making more than half their box-office income from the overseas marketplace: as big as last year's Avengers was at home ($623.4 million), it was even bigger abroad ($888.4 million). Of that foreign total, $185.1 million came in on the film's overseas opening weekend, which took place a week before the movie premiered in the U.S.
"We've reached the point now where a blockbuster film can make as much as 80 percent of its overall box office gross outside of the United States," says Dave Karger, Chief Correspondent for Fandango.com. "So it makes sense that the studios are catering to the overseas markets by releasing many of their biggest tent-pole movies internationally first and even adding special footage in the most important markets."
             "I understand that the international market is a crucial part of the movie's revenue, but how does it make sense to make Germany a priority over America?" argues Dominic Dalba, a junior at Seckman High School.
              Choosing to release internationally before domestically is an opportunity to build buzz before the movie opens stateside. Americans who tend to line up to catch a film during opening weekend are already starting to feel left behind, and companies realize that viewers will flock to the theaters as soon as the film becomes available, and those who typically wait a few weeks might change their minds and buy a ticket sooner.
            “The day after a big movie or video game is released, I can’t get online. Countries like Japan get them first, and the Japanese are really, really big on social media. The spoilers end up everywhere," says Orion Zmashenski, another SHS junior.
            In addition to garnering the right kind of early attention for these blockbusters, releasing ahead of time helps decrease the piracy market. By letting other countries legally see blockbuster American motion pictures first, the way they were meant to be seen in theaters, the demand for illicit copies of the content will hopefully be quelled.
           "The piracy issues are alleviated by making the film available internationally first and circumventing the pirates and their potential for profits since they are not in possession of a commodity that is not otherwise available to the audience,” says Paul Dergarbedian, Box Office Analyst for Hollywood.com.
              We will likely see more and more movies premiering elsewhere before coming to the shores where they originated.  As long as the wait isn't too long, it's just another part of the game of moviemaking that we'll have to get used to experiencing.