Resumen de Familiarity breeds Accessibility “Foreign-Language” Films in the United States: A Case Study of Spanish Cinema (1992- 2019)
When Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos took the stage in Madrid to kick off the world premiere of the third season of the streamer’s international hit, "La Casa de Papel" ("Money Heist"), in July of 2019, he was met with loud cheers and applause from the packed house at the downtown Callao Cinema.
“For generations, one country and one culture has been exported around the world,” Sarandos said. “What ‘La Casa de Papel’ proves is that great stories can come from anywhere in the world and make the whole world happy.” Netflix seemed to be banking on that – and on Spain's potential in particular – when it began opening up local original production hubs around the world that year (starting, in Europe, with Madrid).
Why Netflix – with its extensive catalog, global subscriber base, on-demand availability, and options for dubbing – has come to represent such a source of hope for local industries and talents the world over, including in Spain, says a lot about the international and US market for non-Hollywood productions. International films in general have been struggling to find a niche at the US box office and experiencing an admissions decline since around the year 2000. As of 2019, "foreign-language" (non-English) movies, like many mid- and small-range films, were at risk of getting squeezed out of the theatrical market entirely in the US.
And yet, acceptance in the US market has long been the marker of professional success in the international film industry – as much for talents recruited to work in Hollywood as for products that find an audience in America. This is a nod to America's lasting cultural influence around the world as well as (and not unrelated) to Hollywood's historically central role in the international industry, the scope and reach of its films and talents, and the notoriously small market in the US for foreign products – all factors that constrict a true two-way flow of films, ideas, people and cultures globally, despite the rise of a global culture in the last decade or so.
As of 2019, foreign-language movies, like many mid- and small-range films, were at risk of getting squeezed out of the theatrical market entirely in the US. This study aims to analyze how the market and audience for Spanish films has evolved over the last three decades in the United States. The study addresses the years 1992 through 2019 to acknowledge the important changes to the Spanish film industry in the 1990s, some noteworthy changes in the US theatrical market in the early 2000s and the increasingly rapid rise of a global culture from around 2007 on, following technological innovations like the iPhone, social media and streaming services.
Spanish films which found success in the US during these periods are analyzed via Case Studies then considered in today's context to see whether they would still work. To contextualize the Case Studies, the dissertation surveys the history of foreign-language films in the US market (Market Barriers), contrasts the industrial footing of Hollywood versus Spain (Industry Barriers), and considers some of the particularities of the North American audience and its attitude and receptiveness to foreign and Spanish products (Cultural and Linguistic Barriers). The study's Conclusions reflect on the viability of Spanish films in the US today and into the near future as well as models for reaching a US audience.
