European cinema in US VOD platforms? A summer experience (blogpost-0021)

Taking advantage of a stay and two weeks of vacation in several US cities, on both coasts, I have taken a look at the availability of European cinema in the catalogs of the platforms in North American territory. This is not a scientific sample as it is limited. We checked the availability of the most watched movies in Europe in 2023, by tracking the VOD services that offered them. The results are not very encouraging for there is little presence of the European film titles in the US catalogues. Only the Best International Feature Film nominees at the Oscars were visible for the US audience. In light of this situation, it may be said that there is still a lot to be achieved in order to bring the European works to the US and make them more widely available. The sample of this exploratory study consisted of the 20 most watched films in Europe, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) . The factors analyzed were the selling price and the purchase/rental options. The study ends with some conclusions for further consideration.

According to this classification:
1. The latest Asterix movie (2023), who was very successful in Europe in 2023, is not present in the US VOD catalogues, although the majority of the films of the Asterix saga are there.
2. Cortellesi's Italian film, There's Still Tomorrow (2023) is included in the Apple TV catalogue.
3. Alibi.com 2 is in the Apple TV catalogue.
4. Mummies, a Spanish and American co-production movie is on rent for $3.99 in platforms like Apple and Microsoft Store or available in shared subscriptions options in Hulu/Disney + and Hulu/Max. The film is also available for $14.99 in Amazon Video, but not with a Prime Video subscription.
5. The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (2023) is included in the Apple TV subscription package. Hoopla users also get it for free. There are rental options in Apple TV and Amazon Video for $5.99 and for $4.99 in Microsoft Store. It is also for sale for $19.99 in these three platforms.
6. Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie (2023), a cartoon film by French cartoonist Jeremy Zag is on Netflix.
7. The Turkish film Rafadan Tayfa 4: Hayrimatör (2023) is not available on streaming.
8. Anatomy of a Fall, the French film by Justine Triet, the big winner at Cannes in 2023, is in the catalogue of platforms like Apple TV and HULU. It can also be rented for $3.99 in Amazon Video, Spectrum and Microsoft Store. It is also for sale for $12.99 in several VOD platforms (Amazon video, Microsoft Store, Apple TV) at a very different price from The Three Musketeers.
9. The French film 3 jours max (2023) is not available on streaming.
10. The Spanish film Campeones (2023), a big success in Spain, is neither available in any platform.
11. The Polish-Lithuanian co-production Chłopi as well as The Peasants (2023) are in Netflix.
12. Rehragout/Rendevoux, the German film by Ed Hergoz is not present in any US VOD platform.
13. Die drei? Erbe des Drachen, another German film, is not available in the US.
14. The French film Pattie et la colère de Poséidon, from the David Alaux saga, is not available in any platform.
15. The Turkish film Atartürk 1881-1919 is unavailable in the US catalogues.
16. Mavka. Lisova pisnya, an Ukrainian animation film, is available in all the platforms: it is included in the HULU and Chrunchyroll catalogues, it is on rent for $4.99 in Apple TV, it s on rent for $3.99 in Microsoft Store, it is on rent for $2.99 in Amazon Video and it is for sale for $9.99 in Apple TV.
17. Mon crime, a French film by François Ozon, is not available in the US catalogues, although other of his earlier works are available.
18. The Amazing Maurice, a British-German co-production animation film, is available in the HULU and Chunchyroll catalogues for $3.00, in Amazon Video for $3.99, also in Spectrum and Microsoft Store, and only for rental ($4.99) in Apple TV.
19. Manta, a German production by film director Til Schweiger is not available in the US.
20. Ölümlü Dünya 2, by Turkish director Ali Alay, is neither available in the US, although Ölümlü Dünya (the first part) is.

Conclusions
As a conclusion, only 9 out of 20 European films released in 2023 are available in the US VOD catalogues in 2024. This lack of visibility happens despite the fact that the movies have been widely commercialized and promoted, including resounding participations in international film festivals. On the other side, European animation films are preferred by North American distributors. Regarding animation films, the Oscar-nominee Robots Dream, a Spanish production, is particulary noteworthy. The film can be enjoyed on Chrunchyroll and is still screened in theaters (updated to August 20, 2024). The same goes for the big winner Zone of Interest, available in more than 5 platforms. Regarding the US platforms' catalogues, surprisingly, Apple TV takes the lead over Netflix (which only includes three European films, including the Spanish picture The Society of Snow). Apple TV is the platform that includes more European productions in its catalogue available also for rental, together with HULU and HULU + in combination (bundle) with Disney + and Max. It is also interesting to note that pay-per-view rentals are available in several platforms at different prices. If we talk about series, the situation differs, as Netflix includes in its US catalogue a remarkable number of successful Spanish television productions or co-productions. It is noteworthy that Netflix use to co-produce films and TV series in Spain. Some relevant film titles are El Caso Asunta, the very successful Casa de Papel, as well as Mano de hierro or Élite.