ABSTRACT
Judging from the paucity of critical writing on the subject, the received wisdom concerning the relationship between blockbusters and international film festivals is that there is no story to tell – the former evidently avoid the latter, just as the latter shun the former. On the one hand, Hollywood is perceived to be wary of the potential damage a film festival screening can bring, especially if it involves a premiere. As Justin Wyatt and Katherine Vlesmas write of Titanic’s (1997) world debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1, 1997: “Scheduling a premiere overseas prior to a domestic release date was a calculated gamble few studios attempted for a big-budget film: a negative reception could substantially harm the outcome of a North American opening” (Wyatt and Vlesmas 1999: 38). Even when a premiere is not involved, however, Hollywood still has much to lose from sending its biggest movies to the world’s major festivals. Because the overseas reception of US blockbusters can indeed never be guaranteed – and because everybody is going to get to hear about the latest Hollywood blockbusters sooner or later anyway – why take the risk?
