What is the French Hollywood?

Have any French films been successful in Hollywood?

• Hey, After the recent success of "The Artist" (supposedly a French film) I was wondering what other french films have been Hollywood hits. I can't help but think that "The Artist" would not have been so successful if it had used the French language. Have there been any films that were popular in Hollywood whilst still using French? Many thanks in advance.

• Answer:

  You'll find that the majority of Americans don't like movies that are in languages other than English. They find it offers them two alternatives, neither of which they find acceptable: either bad dubbing (which often sounds & looks atrocious), or the need to read subtitles (which distracts from watching the film). (Obviously, "The Artist" was an exception because it was a silent film.) As a result, if a foreign film has box office potential, Hollywood studios tend to buy the rights to the movie, and remake it with an American cast (in English, of course). There are, of course, a minority of Americans who adore foreign films. But their numbers are insufficient to affect the general box office. So foreign films usually play at smaller "art house" theatres, which specialize in more esoteric efforts.