Why are foreign language movies not breaking out in USA+Canada?

[Joel M]

1 hour ago, Taruseth said:

Your map already answer it. I think this has something to do with a "we have always done this kind of mentality," and maybe a little bit with laziness and a lot of older people can't speak english



 

I think it's 100% habit. Germany probably started dubbing everything since Hollywood movies/tv shows entered Europe and Germans have grown up with it being the norm. People not knowing english or being illiterate in general was the main reason when they started doing it in the 50s but I don't think it's a factor anymore. 

 

It certainly isn't laziness, dubbing requires more time and money than subtitles but that's what the audience is used to. Here in Greece they used subtitles since forever and even people who don't know english wouldn't watch a live action movie dubbed.

[terrestrial]

14 hours ago, cannastop said:

This is kind of a German thing, right? The Netherlands doesn't do this.

 

  Dubbing only for children: Otherwise solely subtitles.

  General dubbing: Countries using exclusively a full-cast dubbing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubbing_(filmmaking)#Global_use

- snip -

Writes a kind of German thing, maps shows, Spain, France, Italy, Swiss, Austrai, Czech, Hungary in red....

The two violet marked ones are doing a twist of it (Belarus and Slovakia)

Yellow is voice over, tat too is a twist of it

 

= for the languages with enogh people speaking it to merit the costs it seems to be fairly typical in continental Europe, and near to us Asia

😉

 

[Taruseth]

1 hour ago, Joel M said:

 

I think it's 100% habit. Germany probably started dubbing everything since Hollywood movies/tv shows entered Europe and Germans have grown up with it being the norm. People not knowing english or being illiterate in general was the main reason when they started doing it in the 50s but I don't think it's a factor anymore. 

 

It certainly isn't laziness, dubbing requires more time and money than subtitles but that's what the audience is used to. Here in Greece they used subtitles since forever and even people who don't know english wouldn't watch a live action movie dubbed.

I meant laziness by the audience.

Would watch movies in english too in cinema if they would be shown more often and I wouldn't need to go on opening Weekend Sunday evening, I rarely watch a movie during opening weekend.

 

50 minutes ago, terrestrial said:

Writes a kind of German thing, maps shows, Spain, France, Italy, Swiss, Austrai, Czech, Hungary in red....

The two violet marked ones are doing a twist of it (Belarus and Slovakia)

Yellow is voice over, tat too is a twist of it

 

= for the languages with enogh people speaking it to merit the costs it seems to be fairly typical in continental Europe, and near to us Asia

😉

 

Yeah Germany, France, Italy are big enough so movies can be dubbed and still be profitable.

[lilmac]

American here.

 

I don’t want to read subtitles or see dubbed films when plenty of options I enjoy are in English

 

Also, I’ll watch foreign language movies if there is Oscar buzz or some hype around them.

 

[terrestrial]

38 minutes ago, Taruseth said:

Would watch movies in english too in cinema if they would be shown more often and I wouldn't need to go on opening Weekend Sunday evening, I rarely watch a movie during opening weekend.

That I see as a major hindrance too, outside opening day or weekend (depends on city size) its rather difficult to find a movie in the original language.

I see them adding more English OVs in Munich in the bigger cinemas, countryside: out of all new releases one often gets only one OV screening at a smaller city's cinema near-ish to me. Sadly at one of the weekdays I am usually working.

Means I have to drive far... needs lots of time

I think that is also one of man reasons I often wait and watch a movie at home, I prefer the OV - preferable with subtitles - far over a dubbed or voice over version.

 

Does anyone remember this:

got Das Boot then a dubbed or a subtitled release in the US?

I often wonder about that still

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by terrestrial

[Panda]

NA also very nationalist maybe a cause

[Daxtreme]

We're already swarmed with NA releases so foreign releases can't find their demand in the overall supply.

 

Also, subtitles.

[terrestrial]

3 minutes ago, Daxtreme said:

We're already swarmed with NA releases so foreign releases can't find their demand in the overall supply.

Also, subtitles.

What should we non-US people say about that?

We get a lot of those too, also local, neighbour countries, same continent countries, other continent countries.... incl dom 😉

I've seen Australian and UK movies in Germany too, lots of French, Spanish, Italian, Greece,... movies also.

Often we get to see the originals that later on Hollywood loves to redo again (to be honest, in most of those cases those 'redo' movies or TV series are less good, over-finished, less fresh)

Subtitles I love, actors can use accents and I still will understand them 😉

 

Hmmm we all love to look out for what a movie makes OS, but OS is full of OS made movies too, a big imbalance in habits?

 

[charlie Jatinder]

Motivated me to open this thread;

If you wanna stuck around.

 

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by Charlie Jatinder

[Minnale101]

I watched dragon ball super broly in theatres which was a dubbed anime movie 

 

I only watch movies I’m interested in not because someone critics says it’s great 

[HeadShot]

Racism

[junkshop36]

Generally, the only foreign films I enjoy watching are of the action variety; like The Raid and Raid 2. I prefer if they’re dubbed though. 

[titanic2187]

I don't get how reading subtitle is a hinder factor.

 

In my country, reading subtitle while watching movie is a national obligation.   

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

2 minutes ago, titanic2187 said:

I don't get how reading subtitle is a hinder factor.

 

In my country, reading subtitle while watching movie is a national obligation.   

It's just not what general audiences in the US are accustomed to for the theatrical experience, people unashamedly declare, "I don't like to READ when I go to the movies, har har!" like a badge of honor. There are exceptions every so often, but they are pretty rare here when you consider how much money subtitled Hollywood movies make overseas. I don't know if studios care that much really, they will see a foreign breakout and think they can just do an American remake, every other movie now is a remake anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

[Cap]

44 minutes ago, titanic2187 said:

I don't get how reading subtitle is a hinder factor.

1. Not everyone’s brain processes fast enough to read and comprehend the subtitles on screen. 

 

2. Not everyone’s brain has the ability to multitask and focus on a way that that can read the subtitles and take in the whole frame — cinematography, acting, etc. 

 

I know personally I fine it easier to watch a subtitled film in a movie theater, where I am forced to focus just on the screen, much easier than watching it at my house where I have a million distractions 

[cookie]

20 hours ago, cannastop said:

This is kind of a German thing, right? The Netherlands doesn't do this.

 

 

  Dubbing only for children: Otherwise solely subtitles.

  General dubbing: Countries using exclusively a full-cast dubbing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubbing_(filmmaking)#Global_use

Worth noting that Scandinavia and the Netherlands have the highest English proficiency rates in the world (besides Singapore) while France, Italy, Spain and Germany are much lower on the scale. Dubbing while also more economically viable in larger markets is also more necessary.

Edited August 18, 2019 by cookie

[Webslinger]

1 hour ago, titanic2187 said:

I don't get how reading subtitle is a hinder factor.

 

In my country, reading subtitle while watching movie is a national obligation.   

I think some viewers might argue that they want to take in what’s happening visually without the “hindrance” of having to read subtitles. Personally, though, I don’t think it’s really that hard to read through the subtitles and still fully appreciate what’s happening.  While watching Roma and The Farewell, for example, I was still perfectly capable of taking in the beauty of the visual composition and the nuances of actors’ performances while reading what they were saying.

[RealLyre]

how did America watch Inglourious Basterds if they don't like reading subtitles? 

 

is it not a hindrance when it's a Tarantino 

[The Horror of Lucas Films]

LMFAO. Not even American movies are breaking out these days, let alone foreign ones.  

[titanic2187]

3 minutes ago, RealLyre said:

how did America watch Inglourious Basterds if they don't like reading subtitles? 

 

is it not a hindrance when it's a Tarantino 

Ya, especially two thirds of the film was not in English

 

35 minutes ago, Webslinger said:

I think some viewers might argue that they want to take in what’s happening visually without the “hindrance” of having to read subtitles. Personally, though, I don’t think it’s really that hard to read through the subtitles and still fully appreciate what’s happening.  While watching Roma and The Farewell, for example, I was still perfectly capable of taking in the beauty of the visual composition and the nuances of actors’ performances while reading what they were saying.

Is The farewell feature heavily mandarin dialogue? The trailer suggest more like a Slumdog Millionaire English/Hindi percentage. 

 

1 hour ago, captainwondyful said:

1. Not everyone’s brain processes fast enough to read and comprehend the subtitles on screen. 

 

2. Not everyone’s brain has the ability to multitask and focus on a way that that can read the subtitles and take in the whole frame — cinematography, acting, etc. 

 

I know personally I fine it easier to watch a subtitled film in a movie theater, where I am forced to focus just on the screen, much easier than watching it at my house where I have a million distractions 

USA is one of the most educated country in the world, how can reading the subtitle be an issue for large part of American?

 

I feel the problem is just habitual issue and American feel annoyed or irritated for hearing some unfamiliar foreign language. 

Also, most foreign language film are drama or comedy without visual action spectacle, this kind of film suffered a lot now regardless of their languages