Opinion: Should Canada Be Thought of as a Domestic Market

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Warner's current ban on previews in Canada has got me a thinking. Why is Canada still considered a part of the US of A in regards to the American film market. Why are films released in Canada at the same time as in the US?

Obviously, our shared boarder makes a delayed release in Canada difficult in certain, and valuable markets (Toronto, Montreal). However, if Canada was thought of as an independent market (like the UK currently is) we might have a fighting chance to have a healthy domestic film industry.

American films are typically released in the UK 4 - 6 months after their North American premiere. This has allowed the UK to have a healthy domestic film market.

I'm not against Hollywood production, but by having Canada viewed as an American domestic market, our own national cinema suffers. We cannot afford to produce such block busters as Spider Man 3, but we can still afford to make good populist films. Under the current distribution model, there is no incentive to do so, since there is a healthy flow of entertainment from the south. So, Canadian film makers are encouraged to make "Art Films" so as to stand out.

This strangles many Canadian film makers who wish to make, in Canada, genre or entertainment films. When a filmmaker does make an entertainment film (eg. Fido) it gets lost in the barrage of American marketing. Maybe by having a six month delay of release on American film will allow Canadian films (and filmmakers) to have a chance to promote themselves.

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