Always more than just an industry, Hollywood also functions as a powerful and effective cultural barometer. But a cultural shift is percolating beneath the surface. For the first time in decades, substance is overtaking spectacle, and Hollywood is slowly leaning into stories from outside its borders—driven by global viewers, shifting audience demographics, and the streaming industry’s appetite for authentic cultural narratives.
For brands that need to track entertainment trends, this is noteworthy and essential. The rise of Parasite, Squid Game, Dangal, and other foreign-language blockbusters is transforming how studios conceive storytelling, how audiences engage, and how brands activate across culture-forward platforms.
Nothing illustrates this more clearly than Parasite. In 2020, Bong Joon-ho’s darkly comedic thriller shattered language barriers when it became the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Shortly after, it climbed to be one of Hulu’s most-streamed titles, cementing the idea that audiences will sit through subtitles if the story is worth telling. But Parasite’s impact wasn’t isolated. Films like Drive My Car, Roma, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Another Round have since garnered both Oscar nods and commercial success, and they’ve reshaped prestige culture.
Streaming helped accelerate this momentum. During lockdown, U.S. viewers turned to Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime in search of fresh storytelling. Demand for foreign-language content skyrocketed: mismatched dialogue or cultural context no longer deters audiences. According to Parrot Analytics, demand in the U.S. for non-English shows jumped from 12.8% in Q1 2022 to 17% in Q3 2024. Today, 76% of Gen Z and millennials in the U.K. and U.S. report watching foreign-language shows– an important generational mindset shift that points to a lasting change in viewing habits.
Netflix, in particular, has become a global content incubator. With over 230 million subscribers by mid-2023, two-thirds of them had viewed Korean-language titles, and Squid Game became one of the most-watched shows ever, breaking platform records in 90+ countries. Similarly, Lupin from France dethroned Bridgerton as one of Netflix’s top titles with 70M views, followed closely by Squid Game’s 111M in four weeks. Streaming’s algorithmic distribution, dubbed versions, and native promotion mean audiences don’t just tolerate — they celebrate cultural authenticity.
Even box offices are feeling the shift. In China, Dangal, a sports-biopic featuring a female wrestler, grossed $520M in 2017, with 72% of foreign box office revenue that year coming from non-Hollywood titles. Globally, several foreign-language films now rank among the highest-grossing ever. More than just a niche, it’s become a mass transformation of content consumption on screens big and small.
Hollywood’s increased casting and representation also point to this trend. The 2022 UCLA Annenberg Inclusion Report showed that Asian onscreen representation jumped from 3.4% in 2007 to 15.9% in 2022—a leap forward attributed to global hits like Crazy Rich Asians and Parasite. But studios aren’t just chasing optics—they’re chasing narrative investments that underrepresented audiences have now come to expect.
Besides cinematic influence, international series are reshaping genre and format. Turkish dramas, known for emotional peaks and rich storytelling, have drawn new audiences; a recent study highlighted their complex story arcs and steady global viewership. Spanish crime series, anime, and Japanese dramas regularly populate global Top 10 charts—exceptional in their local specificity, and until now, largely invisible in Western distribution.
This isn’t just about cultural cross-pollination—it’s about focusing on what modern audiences care about: emotional truth, nuance, and representation. Streaming’s support of international content has expanded consumer curiosity—by 2020, Netflix saw foreign-language viewership climb 50%, driven by interest in European, Latin, and Asian content. Millennials and Gen Z—raised online and more globalized than their older counterparts—seek stories that resonate with lived experiences, not just spectacle.
For brands in entertainment, this moment demands a strategic rethink. Product placement, sponsorship, and talent partnerships should reflect the new landscape. Consider these recent collaborations: Dior’s Korean cast campaigns launching alongside Parasite-era storytelling, or case studies like Airbnb sponsoring Squid Game–themed stays. Brands that eagerly embrace this shift gain attention and earn vital legitimacy in these types of cross-cultural conversations.
But even with this new landscape, some challenges remain. Non-English titles still represent only a fraction of Hollywood’s output. In 2024, only 17 non-English shows hit Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 in the U.S. But the wins are outsized: a single success can reverberate globally, build cultural momentum, and reshape perception far faster than a tentpole Hollywood franchise that has left audiences bored and starved for something new.
Impact goes deeper. Tourists visit shooting locations—from Game of Thrones-boosted Northern Ireland tourism to Squid Game-inspired Korean travel trends. Stories help shape environments. Brands like Expedia and Booking.com capitalize on such journeys, illustrating how content culturalizing can fuel consumer behavior.
Streaming platforms are also changing the distribution calculus. They are willing to bet big on premium foreign-language content—even from smaller studios—knowing that emotional resonance can outperform production budget. As Pew suggests, 61% of U.S. adults are discovering new genres through streaming. That means what matters isn’t the language—it’s the impact.
Brands that want to catch this wave must think like cultural curators. Partner with global creators early. Invest in dialogue, not copy-paste localization. Respect storytelling traditions. Create campaigns that do not just copy visuals but reflect genuine empathy and nuance. Whether through co-produced entertainment, pop-ups, or native ad units, activation needs cultural grounding.
Hollywood has long trained its lens on a vast array of stories, but foreign storytellers are quickly changing the orientation and pointing it in a different direction. For brands that tell stories and serve global audiences, it’s time to think global-first, not as an afterthought. That’s not “cultural strategy” anymore: it’s basic market fluency. And in this new post-border, post-subtitle era, brands that still cling to monolithic narratives are the ones being watched, and increasingly watching from the outside.
