:: The rising clout of international audiences is a sea change for Hollywood. Decades ago, a movie’s foreign box office barely registered with studio executives. Now, foreign ticket sales represent nearly 68% of the roughly $32 billion global film market, up from roughly 58% a decade ago, according to Screen Digest Cinema Intelligence Service.

:: The rise of the international box office has as much to do with a shifting global economy as with the evolution of the movie business. For years, Hollywood’s bottom line was propped up by double-digit growth in DVD sales. From 2000 to 2005, for example, home-video sales increased by 91% in the U.S. But during the tough economy of the past two years, home video—which used to account for the bulk of a film’s profits—fell more than 20%, according to Screen Digest U.S. Video Intelligence Service. Dwindling in-theater audiences in North America also have contributed to the shift.

Jonathan C. Rayos

CEO :: Executive Producer

FilmEmerge :: FilmEmerge Productions

www.filmemerge.com

source: wsj.com