European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                . Filmmakers look abroad Paramount 2 Sean Connery above As commander of the soviet nuclear submarine red october in film based on novel by Tom Clancy James Earl Jones in a scene from the film with actor Jeffrey Jones portrays the director of naval intelligence. I after Frank i had to go to see him to keep it Wasny to just that 5 million people had read Jin the Book but that it said  Inan allowed that he had taken some liberties pith reality but with the Book As Well. For lat the Climax of the novel the defecting russian ses his boat the red october to ram the Ptack sub Konovalov that has been in hot t it would be difficult for people to sympathize asian Captain if he killed 100 innocent t be that Quot Mctiernan said. Quot you go up the oppy about the thing. So we had the sinking of i of caused by the impetuous Ness of its to nerf Sonc 1 used an episode not in the novel in c americans by Ard the red october and lnrj1cp urn Kneuver As easily As if it were a baby is asked Street Cal the ma9ination a fathom too the an Rex i?1,16 film a things Clancy achieves it err a n we can d0 on film Quot Mctiernan i s a Little bit of Indiana Jones in this Stoa by i if s scheduled t0 Start shooting Road land cup contemporary cattle drive with w been w .0ntana in May he said the film i production n Jack h Bolson but never s Madeep me Quot one a Hose Amous a Clancy s Lai put cd Mes next. Paramount has v  hit ,n0vlf-Clear and presen i he bad nyc jut not a old a drama i aa9uys Are  by Geraldine Fabrikant new York times a rapidly growing Market for american films abroad is encouraging american studios to pay closer attention to foreign moviegoers. The Success of seme recent films in markets outside the United states is striking. As big a hit As the film fatal attraction was in the United states it has made even More Money at the Box office overseas. So has last year s Winner of the Oscar for Best film rain Man. Even cocktail with the All american actor Tom cruise playing the Lead role of a bartender has done better at the Box office abroad. American movies have for decades attracted larger International audiences than those of any other nation. American film exports exceed film imports by $3 billion annually said Jack Valenti president of the motion picture association of America. Last year foreign revenues constituted about 38 percent of total Industry revenues up from 30 percent in 1980, said Fritz Attaway the association s senior vice president for government relations. Most Industry experts agree that in the coming decade the percentage of foreign revenues will grow further As More Heaters Are built abroad and secondary markets like Cable and broadcast television Are expanded. Time Warner inc. Has announced a joint venture with the soviet film Industry for the construction of movie Heaters in Moscow and Leningrad. A result of the growth overseas is that an increasing number of films Are being made with some consideration of their Appeal abroad. Stars like Sean Connery Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eddie Murphy Are Able to command huge salaries in part because of the certainty that their presence in a movie will give it greater Appeal around the world. Indeed an important Factor in casting Sean Connery As the Lead in the Hunt for red october was the actor s enormous Appeal overseas said Sid Ganis president of the Paramount motion picture group. That movie opened in the United states last weekend and will open abroad at the end of next month. The films of certain stars like Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone translate Well abroad because they rarely depend on the subtleties of dialogue. Schwarzenegger will get $10 million to Star in total recall a Carol co pictures film with a $50 million budget. As is the Case with Many action films Quot total recall Quot May do better outside the United states than it does at Home. Films like total recall would not be made if they depended solely on the american Box office. Generally Independent companies like Carol co have produced such films Selling the distribution rights to various companies overseas to raise the financing. It is a tedious and lengthy process that Large american studios generally will not undertake. A mod artists pictures Oscar winning a brain Man Quot with Dustin Hoffman left and Tom cruise has made even More Money overseas than in the United states. Some Industry experts think Warner Brothers was willing to produce tango and Cash with Stallone and Kurt Russell because of Stallone s overseas Appeal the same studio also produced frantic a mystery with Harrison Ford three years ago. Quot that was a european Type film Quot said Geoffrey Holmes a senior vice president of time Warner in considering what will Appeal to the foreign Market stars Are not the Only elements. When Carol co chose to produce the music Box with Jessica Lange the Deal included Costa Gavras As the director. Gavras whose credits include missing is considered a leading Talent overseas. The film did very poorly in the United states but Carol co a head of corporate development Tom Levine thinks the film will do better overseas in Large part because of Gavras the growth in the International Market for american films can be attributed partly to the fact that american and foreign companies Are joining to build More modern Heaters. In Britain alone american Multi Cinema National amusements Mca and others have added 350 new screens. A result theater attendance has More than doubled to 105 million in four years More modern Heaters Are planned in Australia West Germany Spain and France. Eastern Europe is also expected to become a major Market. All told foreign Heaters accounted for 42 percent of All worldwide Box office rentals in 1988, up from 34 percent six years earlier according to the motion picture association of America. Fluctuations in the value of the Dollar were another reason for the change. The growth of overseas markets is also changing the marketing strategies of some Large studios. For example Universal s Back to the future ii opened in Heaters around the world at the same time. Historically films have opened abroad six months after their United states debut in part to allow time for the dubbing process and in part so companies could use the american prints overseas. Quot we took in $95 million overseas six months earlier than we would have otherwise Quot said Tom Pollock president of Universal pictures. Quot that meant we saved millions in interest costs right  the demand for american films is also increasing because of changing television markets abroad. In european countries where television is no longer controlled by the state broadcasting companies Are expected to begin spending heavily for the rights to american movies. Cable television is becoming More important overseas. And two British satellite television companies sky television and British satellite broadcasting Are now competing to acquire the rights to american films. Still the truth is that american studios usually think first and last about the . Market. In most cases the Way a film does at the american Box office determines How it performs overseas and in secondary american markets like Cable television and videocassettes. K1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15