Tomorrow, When the War Began

I was invited to a private screening of Tomorrow, When the War Began, which is an action movie made in Australia, co-produced by the United States (Paramount Pictures) and Australia. Although the film was successful in Australia since it is based on a book series that is widely known there, many focus groups around the world were really not receptive. I think that this is ironic since it is a teen action film. I feel like action is one of those genres that can transcend boundaries, especially when it is full of special and visual effects. After some test screenings in the United States, it didn't do so well, so Paramount decided not to release it here. They are releasing it in the UK though. After talking to people, I believe that the heavy Australian accent made the picture not as likeable in the States. I think that it is interesting that they are releasing it in the UK. Although English is spoken in the United Kingdom, it is still a different accent, but was still accepted. What does this have to say about Americans? To me it says that we can't accept something that we usually like just because it sounds different. We couldn't accept this action movie because of the dialogue. It was interesting seeing how the executives liked the picture, but all agreed that it would be difficult to distribute in the States. This reminds me of the reception and learnings we got from Borat. Although Sasha B. Cohen is portraying a foreigner, we all know that he is a Hollywood person; he is acting/impersonating someone else. How receptive would we have been of the satire if it were coming from someone that is actually from Kazhakstan?

I really cannot say much more of what was said in this public blog because of a disclosure statement that I signed, but I find it interesting that the UK was accepting of this film, while the US was not. This proves how important dialogue is in our films. Although there have been successful foreign films in the States, they have either been dubbed or subtitled. How would it have looked if we had subtitled or dubbed a film that was already in English? This makes me feel like we are close-minded, and cannot embrace a "different" English.

Here is some information about the film:
IMDB
Variety Review