Do international moviegoers have something against witchy BFFS Elphaba and Glinda, Michael Keaton’s Ghost with the Most and a band of fearless storm chasers led by Glen Powell?
If not, how do you explain that even though “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Twisters” were domestic box office powerhouses, they weren’t as warmly received in overseas markets? The frostier reception is surprising because commercially successful tentpole films tend to earn at least 60% to 70% of ticket sales at the international box office, as was the case with this year’s “Inside Out 2” (62% of its $1.66 billion global gross came from international territories), “Dune: Part Two” (60.5% of its $714 million gross came from overseas), and “Kung Fu Panda 4” (67.7% of its $547 million gross came from abroad markets). “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which was absolutely massive everywhere, was relatively even with 52.2% of its $1.33 billion in ticket sales from overseas. And more recently, “Gladiator II,” which was released nearly concurrently with “Wicked,” earned 63% of its current $400 million global gross from foreign markets. Yet the inverse was true for “Wicked” (31.5% of its $527 million global gross came from international), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (34.8% of its $451 million global gross came from overseas) and “Twisters” ($27.8% of its $370 million global gross came from overseas). There are many reasons for the pseudo-rejection, ranging from source material that didn’t translate as easily outside the States to missed marketing opportunities to diplomatic drama.
A few years ago those type of movies, boasting big budgets and dazzling visual effects, might have enjoyed more success with foreign crowds. But the entertainment business has changed since COVID upended things. In this altered state of play, Hollywood has been forced to become less reliant on China while Russia has disappeared as a major market.
China once rivaled the U.S. when it came to grosses on Hollywood films. But geopolitical tensions have made the country less receptive to American culture, while the Chinese film industry has expanded dramatically to the point where it is creating its own slate of lavish blockbusters that are shattering box office records. Meanwhile Russia has been almost entirely closed off to Hollywood blockbusters since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022, causing American businesses to clear out. Losing that market shrank the overall pool of foreign markets substantially.
“There’s a new world order,” says Shawn Robbins, Fandango’s director of movie analytics. “And it’s one that studios haven’t fully baked in. International markets like China and Russia aren’t what they were, and the strikes and COVID made some countries look to their own local movies to fill the gap. Studios are having a harder time of knowing what kind of international result they can realistically expect from the movies.”
There are other reasons why “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Twisters,” in particular, were better-known and better-loved in the U.S. compared to other parts of the globe and would have labored to break through overseas even if the contours of the business hadn’t been reshaped by the pandemic and global conflicts.
“Wicked” is an institution in the U.S. thanks to the two-decade-old Broadway show (and countless touring productions), but it has not been performed as widely in other parts of the world. Musicals tend to be bigger in English-speaking countries like the United Kingdom and Australia, which have accounted for roughly 50% of international business for “Wicked.” That “Wicked” has struggled in overseas markets like China and France isn’t for lack of trying, according rival studio executives; Universal didn’t scale back on spending in areas where the film was anticipated to underperform. That’s because the studio is hoping that next year’s sequel “Wicked: For Good” will improve on the results of its predecessor as foreign crowds become more familiar with the story of two witches whose friendship is tested — and as the catchy score becomes more ubiquitous.
“Sometimes it just takes a little bit for these films to catch on,” says Jeff Bock, senior analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “But the reviews have been good and people like it when they see it, so word of mouth should build.”
“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” the follow-up to a nearly 40-year-old comedy that was made when Hollywood movies didn’t typically gross a bigger total from overseas. Nearly 100% of the first film’s grosses were made in the U.S. — so few expected the spooky sequel about a vulgar poltergeist to connect in the territories across the pond and beyond this time around either.
But the weak overseas turnout for this summer’s disaster epic “Twisters,” a follow-up to the 1996 disaster film, “Twister,” is less expected. The first film actually performed better internationally than it did domestically, earning just over 51% of its $495 million global gross from foreign patrons. In contrast, “Twisters,” earned nearly 73% of its $371 million worldwide revenues from U.S. moviegoers. The film is the kind of action-packed popcorn flick that’s hugely popular abroad, and “Twisters” even touched down a week earlier than it did in North America to avoid competition with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” That’s left some industry figures to blame the marketing team at Warner Bros., which they feel failed to capitalize on Powell’s star power and the fun of immersive 4DX screens in the same way Universal Pictures managed to do in North America. (Universal Pictures backed the movie and released it domestically while Warner Bros. had international rights.)
None of these three films broadened out in North America beyond a Caucasian audience in the way that’s necessary for tentpoles to achieve mass appeal. Opening weekend crowds for “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Twisters” were roughly 50% white. That’s compared to all-audience blockbusters like “Moana 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” where only 35% of inaugural crowds were Caucasian. Without that kind of universal draw, a movie isn’t able to cross borders and connect with all different cultures.
Even without breaking records overseas, “Twisters,” “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” and “Wicked” rank among the year’s biggest hits. They may also point to a future where studios become more intensely focused on more U.S. moviegoers. The Trump administration is threatening to launch trade wars, studios are making fewer movies, and the actors and writers strikes delayed releases and left major markets like France more focused on filling the gaps with their own local productions.
“A decade ago, the box office was tipped towards international markets, but could be shifting back in the other direction again,” says Robbins. “We may see more examples like these.”
