MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Across the spectrum of film within the US, there is one inescapable fact and that is the allure of IP (intellectual property). Mega Hollywood studios hold true to their precious IP and box-office draws, however, those numbers are dwindling within the US primarily and not surprisingly thanks to the IPs themselves. The overseas market on the other-hand is rising in countries who are not familiar with popular film franchises due to strict film release guidelines, which limit foreign film releases or ban films outright over content. In recent years, China has become the second most profitable film market outside the US and this number continues to grow. What this presentation and the accompanying paper seeks to discern is not only the reasoning for this trend but also to distinguish what is profitable and what is not in the eyes of the American Film Industry.

Domestically, film franchises derived from a long hailed and profitable IP make up the majority of the summer movie season, which leaves originality in the dust with little attraction from the mainstream audience. A thirty foreign film limit exists in China and American studios are fighting to gain a foothold. Nevertheless, American audiences despite the lower box-office draw are still attracted to the same-old popcorn cinema even if it has been done to its foreseeable creative limits. Why see the familiar over and over again? This is an important question and one that must be answered if there is any hope to revive American cinema.