Focus Features goes International

By Sarah Sluis

Yesterday Focus Features announced it's merging its Universal international production arm with its Focus Features specialty division to form Focus Features International. It seems they made this move after receiving a wave of counter intuitive box-office results: films they made for the domestic marketplace played shined, or were saved, by their performance overseas, and international foreign pics played best in the area they came from.

Take In Bruges, the Martin McDonagh black comedy that made a mere $7.7 million in the U.S., but $23

million worldwide. The internationally attuned Hollywood Foreign Press rewarded Colin Farrell with a Golden Globe for his performance, which in turn raises the profile of the film domestically, bolstering interest on DVD. Combining the divisions ensures that Focus Features International will be able to produce/distribute films internationally, and have more oversight of the performance of their films. Ang Lee, whose Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon astounded stateside audiences, did only $15 million in the U.S. with Lust, Caution. Billed as an espionage thriller, it's not wonder the film did $65 million overseas. On a side note, I think the subtitling made this summer's thriller from Music Box Films, Tell No One, for example, more opaque and intriguing than it would be for a Francophone.

Besides these internationally produced films, difficult Oscar fare has played well overseas for Focus--like Atonement and Burn after Reading. Milk, too, which is rooted in American-specific milestones, is currently in release internationally. According to Box Office Mojo, the film released last weekend in Singapore and Spain, and debuted in the top ten in each country. For a film with a $20 million production budget, a nearly $500,000 opening in Spain certainly can't hurt.