What American movies did other countries liked more than Americans?
For example, an old movie calledThe White Buffalohas become a cult favorite in Asian countries.
And while Americans lovedMamma Mia!,it turns out, British audiences loved it even more.
Here are the American movies that other countries cannot get enough of.
As onereviewerexplained, it’s still a cult favorite in certain Asian countries.
And apparently, the actor’s name was displayed on a huge, block-long sign in Japan.
Maybe Bronson is the reasonThe White Buffalowas such an unexpected success in Asia.
AsThe Hollywood Reporterrevealed, the film would have needed to make $400 million overall to break even.
However, Chinese audiences seemed to enjoy the film much more than American movie-goers.
AsTimereported, almost half of the world’sWorld of Warcraftvideo game players live in China.
In fact, the game is so popular there that the country has produced professionalWorld of Warcraftplayers.
It’s no wonder this film was so popular in China!
The Brits absolutely loved Mamma Mia!
Bearing the same name, its domestic takings at the box office were just $58.6 million.
But internationally, it made a staggering $184 million (viaBox Office Mojo).
It turns out, much of this international success was due to the audiences in China.
It sounds like Chinese audiences loved the visual elements of the film much more than the Americans did.
However, internationally, it did even better, taking in a total of $484 million.
Paul Hanneman, president of international distribution for 20th Century Fox, explained his approach.
“You have to learn to work across cultures,” he explained.
“I don’t think you’re going to see movies that appeal only internationally,” he said.
And in other European countries,Jokerdid even better.
It’s clear thatJokerwas a huge hit with European audiences.
He added that their UK marketing strategy had been prepared to push the film on British audiences.
However, it turns outIce Age: Continental Driftdid even better upon its release with international audiences.
Additionally,The Hollywood Reporterlooked intoIce Age: Continental Drift’s international success in more detail.
In fact, it became thenumber two top-selling film of all timein Latin America.
And in France, the movie became the top grossing movie of the year.
According toGrantland, it became the number one overall movie in China.
Its sequel went on to nab the number two spot.
Later, the fourthTransformersfilm beat out the first film for the number one spot.
Additionally,Transformerswas mostly filmed in China and was released in Hong Kong.
The film also used Chinese actors and Chinese filmmaking resources.
It’s easy to see why Chinese audiences lapped it up and why Americans were less than impressed.
One critic from theRolling Stoneactually gave it zero stars!
Russia loved John Carter
John Cartercame out in 2012.
It sounds like the Russian audiences lovedJohn Carteras it served as a much-needed distraction from reality.
AsDeadlinereported, the movie ended up making 63 percent of its box office sales from overseas movie-goers.
The overseas success ofBaywatchprobably could have been predicted.
After all, the original TV show in the ’90s was a huge hit internationally.
Plus, Johnson seems to be a real hit with international movie-goers.
It wasn’t a huge success in America and was soundly beaten at the box office by theBlade Runnerreboot.
However, asForbesreported, the film was a massive hit in China.
Wu, who is an American born actor with roots in Shanghai, is particularly popular among Chinese audiences.
Chinese audiences loved Kung Fu Panda 3
Plenty of Americans adore theKung Fu Pandafranchise.
However, it’s in China where audiencesreallylove the lovable, crime-fighting panda.
Talk about getting a boost from the overseas audiences!
Using advanced technology, the Mandarin version synced up the characters' voices with their movements.
However, luckily for the film’s producers, the movie made much more money overseas.
In fact, overall, its international revenue was a staggering $300 million (viaBox Office Mojo).
The Golden Compasswas particularly successful in the UK, where it made $53 million.
Maybe this project should never have been made with only American audiences in mind after all!
It actually became the most-watched show in the UK for five years at the time (via theIndependent).
Need for Speed was another big hit in China
Sensing a pattern?
Chinese movie-goers seem to absolutely love American action movies, andNeed for Speedwas no exception.
Nevertheless, it was pretty much a disaster in American cinemas, drawing in only $43 million.
Luckily, Chinese audiences rescuedNeed for Speed.
In fact, in China, the film made $66 million (viaBox Office Mojo).
Additionally,Need for Speedwas such a big hit in China that the country started clamoring for a sequel.
AsThe Wrapreported, Chinese company China Movie Channel was involved with commissioning the sequel.
“We believe it will include much more Chinese talent and elements,” he added.
