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Cultural Discount and Cross-Culture Predictability: Examining the Box Office Performance of American Movies in Hong Kong

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  • Francis Lee

Abstract

Media studies have suggested that a media product traveling across cultures would be received in locally specific ways. This study argues that cultural discount and cross-culture predictability of financial performance are 2 quantitative manifestations of local reception. The loss of value and performance predictability constitutes a problem for media producers, whereas universalizing the media product is a possibly useful strategy to handle such problems. This article analyzes box office figures from 1989 to 2004 to examine whether Hollywood movies of different genres are more or less subject to cultural discount and lack of predictability when they travel to Hong Kong. The results show that comedies are highly particularistic and that science fiction is apparently the most universal. Mixed results are obtained for other movie genres.

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  • Francis Lee, 2006. "Cultural Discount and Cross-Culture Predictability: Examining the Box Office Performance of American Movies in Hong Kong," Journal of Media Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 259-278.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jmedec:v:19:y:2006:i:4:p:259-278
    DOI: 10.1207/s15327736me1904_3
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    Cited by:

    1. Jane, Wen-Jhan, 2021. "Cultural distance in international films: An empirical investigation of a sample selection model," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Kwak, Kyu Tae & Lee, Seung Yeop & Ham, Minjeong & Lee, Sang Woo, 2021. "The effects of internet proliferation on search engine and over-the-top service markets," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8).
    3. Hailin Zhang & Xina Yuan & Tae Ho Song, 2020. "Examining the role of the marketing activity and eWOM in the movie diffusion: the decomposition perspective," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 589-608, September.
    4. W. D. Walls, 2009. "The Market for Motion Pictures in Thailand: Rank, Revenue, and Survival at the Box Office," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 8(2), pages 115-131, August.
    5. Sangkil Moon & Barry Bayus & Youjae Yi & Junhee Kim, 2015. "Local consumers’ reception of imported and domestic movies in the Korean movie market," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 39(1), pages 99-121, February.
    6. Allègre Hadida, 2010. "Commercial success and artistic recognition of motion picture projects," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 34(1), pages 45-80, February.
    7. Li Min, 2019. "Online Ratings and Audience choice: Base on the Examination of Two Stage? Box Office of Chinese Movies in North American," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 9711958, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    8. Reo Song & Sangkil Moon & Haipeng (Allan) Chen & Mark B. Houston, 2018. "When marketing strategy meets culture: the role of culture in product evaluations," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 384-402, May.
    9. Moon, Sangkil & Song, Reo, 2015. "The Roles of Cultural Elements in International Retailing of Cultural Products: An Application to the Motion Picture Industry," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 154-170.
    10. Rui Chen & Zhiyi Chen & Yongzhong Yang, 2021. "The Creation and Operation Strategy of Disney’s Mulan: Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Discount," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.
    11. Sayantan Ghosh Dastidar & Caroline Elliott, 2020. "The Indian film industry in a changing international market," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(1), pages 97-116, March.
    12. Brinja Meiseberg & Thomas Ehrmann, 2013. "Diversity in teams and the success of cultural products," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 37(1), pages 61-86, February.
    13. Moon-Yong Kim & Sangkil Moon, 2021. "The effects of cultural distance on online brand popularity," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(3), pages 302-324, May.
    14. Jing Yan & Feng Yu, 2021. "Can international coproduction promote the performance of cultural products in the global markets? Evidence from the Chinese movie industry," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(4), pages 777-798, November.
    15. Caroline Elliott & Palitha Konara & Haiyi Ling & Chengang Wang & Yingqi Wei, 2018. "Behind film performance in China’s changing institutional context: The impact of signals," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 63-95, March.

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