Hollywood has repeatedly looked overseas for stories that already proved they could connect with audiences, sometimes turning them into major American hits.
1. Infernal Affairs → The Departed
The 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller became the basis for Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.
The American version moved the story to Boston and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson. It went on to win Best Picture and gave Hollywood one of its most successful foreign-film adaptations.
2. Ringu → The Ring
The Japanese horror film Ringu inspired the 2002 American version starring Naomi Watts.
The remake became a major hit and helped trigger a wave of Hollywood adaptations of Japanese horror movies, including The Grudge.
3. La Cage aux Folles → The Birdcage
The French comedy about a gay couple and their very complicated family meeting became The Birdcage in 1996.
The American version starred Robin Williams and Nathan Lane and became a major box-office success while introducing the story to a much larger American audience.
4. Intouchables → The Upside
The French hit Intouchables became an international success before being remade in America as The Upside.
The 2019 version starred Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman and became another major commercial success.
5. Il Mare → The Lake House
The Korean romance Il Mare used a mysterious mailbox to connect two people living in different years.
Hollywood adapted the concept into The Lake House, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. The 2006 film grossed more than $100 million worldwide.
6. Seven Samurai → The Magnificent Seven
Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese classic Seven Samurai inspired the 1960 American Western The Magnificent Seven.
The basic story was transported from 16th-century Japan to the American frontier, demonstrating how a foreign story could be completely transformed while preserving its central idea.