We can distinguish a number of factors for the success of American cinema. Firstly, globalization played a role in strengthening Hollywood’s position: transnational corporations, the Internet, the integration of markets, and technological development. New opportunities allowed for increased production capacity and market expansion through transnational flows of people, capital, goods and services, as well as through new technologies. Second, the strengthening of English as a universal global means of communication has also made a significant contribution. Thirdly, the success of U.S. cinema is a result of both the financial capacity of American studios (incomparably more than their foreign competitors) and the “style” of American cinema. These factors are closely intertwined. Only American film industry can afford to use the most famous and talented actors and the most impressive special effects. It is these opportunities that allow Hollywood to maintain its reputation as a “dream factory.
The U.S. film industry, judging by the number of blockbusters it produces (popular and commercially successful films for the general public), usually understands better than its foreign competitors what the mass audience wants. Popular American films rarely carry a conspicuous ideological message that could become a potential irritant. In addition, Hollywood directors and producers try to focus on things that are near and understandable to everyone, anywhere on Earth 9. For example, people all over the world admire “Titanic” and “Gone with the Wind” not because these films glorify American values, but because love stories are universal. At the same time, for example, the beauty of these films is “attached” in the minds of viewers to the image of the United States, becoming one of the elements that form the overall impression of the country, which in reality most of them have never seen.
The ability to establish such an emotional connection with the audience is due to the fact that American producers prefer not to separate art and entertainment. Many people prefer U.S. cinema for the “quality of the pictures” and for their “thrill,” allowing a brief escape from reality and the problems of everyday life. The first is the result of financial opportunity, while the second is a conscious choice in favor of the “entertainment” aspect of filmmaking on the part of the producers.
The big American movie studios use their main tool, capital, to set the already mentioned standards of film production, which require a significant financial outlay. It’s not just that those producers who can’t afford it will never “catch up” with Hollywood. It also means that, because of the need to ensure a return on investment, they will tend to avoid stories that are unfamiliar to the audience and therefore pose a commercial risk.