The big [motion] picture: Analyzing the factors affecting the international motion picture industry

Dalila Salazar, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

The motion picture industry is one of the largest private sector employers in the United States, supporting 1.9 million jobs, and providing its workforce approximately $104 billion in total wages in 2011 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012b). With U.S. films distributed in over 140 countries, not only is the industry successful domestically, it is one of the country's leading exports, reaping more than $23.9 billion in 2012 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012a). Despite the importance of the global marketplace, we know very little about the factors that influence the success of movies internationally. My study partially addresses this issue by developing a model, which attempts to capture and provide insight into some of the factors that affect the global performance of movies. The first major goal of this study is to offer a thorough review of the research conducted on the motion picture industry. It integrates findings to uncover research themes and possible gaps in the literature. The literature analysis is based on 69 articles, published in six top marketing journals: the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Marketing Science, and Psychology & Marketing. Findings suggest that this research domain is understudied, particularly in the international arena. As a result, drawing upon the signaling theory, the second major goal of this study is to address a fundamental research question: which factors contribute to the success of American movies internationally? Based on an integrative analysis of American movies introduced over the past seventy-five years, a model is developed to determine the variables directly impacting revenue generation for U.S. films in an international context.

Subject Area

Marketing|Film studies

Recommended Citation

Salazar, Dalila, "The big [motion] picture: Analyzing the factors affecting the international motion picture industry" (2014). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI3630453.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI3630453

Share

COinS