From Niche to Mass

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

How Niche Becomes Mass What happens when an audience wants to watch something that is not domestically produced? Globalization made it possible for them to look for it somewhere else. That is exactly what is happening with the LGBTQAI+ content that the Western market is failing to deliver. Eyes turn to Asian, where BL/GL (boys love/girls love) dramas are abundant. 

What was once a niche market now has a global demand. Thailand, for example, is a main producer of successful BLs (read about it on Time). Turning famous fanfictions and webtoons (the IPs of the moment) into TV series and films is a smart move. It captures huge literary fan bases to transform low budget projects into massively successful streaming content. In this The Hollywood Reporter article, seasoned Taiwanese producers recognize the unique power of this genre to influence overseas. 

The Western Market 

The top 1 movie in 88 countries, Prime Video 'Red, White & Royal Blue', is a worldwide consensus. In only two weeks it attracted a huge wave of new subscribers, according to Deadline. The movie is an adaptation of the homonymous book written by the bestselling author Casey McQuinston. Its millions of fans got the queer fairytale from the book into the screens. 

With few exceptions, fictional narratives about the lives of queer people have been shown mostly as dramas of estrangement, self-hatred, punishment, and even death. This is changing. LGBTQIA+ audiences finally have the chance of experiencing lighter narratives, as proven by 'Bottoms', featured on the cover of this month's Magazine. 

Contradictions 

New York Even though the demand has never been higher, LGBTQIA+ TV shows keep getting canceled in the Western world after only one season. 'First Kill', for example, was canceled by Netflix while hitting the global top 10 for three weeks, accumulating more than 97.66 million hours watched (read it on Time). Twice as much as 'Heartstopper' which was renewed for seasons 2 and 3 ( The Hollywood Reporter) making it clear that rom-coms are everyone's go-to genre, including the queer audience.

At Malin Entertainment, we are very attuned to the needs of the LGBTQIA+ spectators. We recently helped bring in investments for ' Monica' (2023), the story of a transgender woman. The film premièred at Venice Film Festival and drew so much attention that it is expected to make it to the Oscars' list. In 2021, we collaborated in the adaptation of a BL Italian box-office comedy, 'Mine Vaganti', into a Brazilian one ' There is Something About Mario'. 

We are here to help you transform your niche into mass! Just shoot us an email. 

Warm Regards,

Duda Persson & Laura Malin