Design Thinking Approach in International Markets: Implications for the Movie Industry

The proposed human-centric design thinking-based movie internationalization framework suggests the impact of three critical components – desirability, feasibility, and viability – for achieving better audience engagement and box office revenue at the global level. We explain the various factors pertaining to these components mediated by content relatability but moderated by country culture and content genre in enhancing performance. We argue that relatable movie content in a conducive country environment, such as regulatory structure and norms, cross-border trade-related norms, and socio-economic structure, will persuade production houses to launch movies there, leading to a higher likelihood of its consistent global reach and success.