Lauri says:
Since the international market is increasingly important, especially for bigger-budget movies, writers might want to be aware of the following:
"Genres Built for Travel
Not surprisingly, some film genres traveled better than others, while those that performed well in the U.S. market could not be counted on to perform as well abroad.
For instance, American sports dramas were culturally predisposed to success in the United States rather than overseas, given the nature of their subject. In 2011, two films in the sample generated 84.8 percent of their revenues in the States, compared to 15.2 percent internationally. Another genre that does not travel well is U.S. comedy, which covers both comedy drama and action comedy flicks. In comparison, romantic comedies fare better, even if they are still slightly weighted toward the U.S. market.
At the other end of the spectrum, a genre that has less trouble navigating success abroad is animation, which took 62.8 percent of revenues in overseas markets. Science fiction in its various forms also travels well, either as sci-fi thrillers at 68.4 percent or sci-fi action at 58.8 percent. Likewise performing credibly in international markets are action films at 57.0 percent and horror titles at 56.9 percent."
http://www.isuppli.com/media-research/news/pages/international-movie-market-continues-to-increase-lead-over-us.aspx
"Genres Built for Travel
Not surprisingly, some film genres traveled better than others, while those that performed well in the U.S. market could not be counted on to perform as well abroad.
For instance, American sports dramas were culturally predisposed to success in the United States rather than overseas, given the nature of their subject. In 2011, two films in the sample generated 84.8 percent of their revenues in the States, compared to 15.2 percent internationally. Another genre that does not travel well is U.S. comedy, which covers both comedy drama and action comedy flicks. In comparison, romantic comedies fare better, even if they are still slightly weighted toward the U.S. market.
At the other end of the spectrum, a genre that has less trouble navigating success abroad is animation, which took 62.8 percent of revenues in overseas markets. Science fiction in its various forms also travels well, either as sci-fi thrillers at 68.4 percent or sci-fi action at 58.8 percent. Likewise performing credibly in international markets are action films at 57.0 percent and horror titles at 56.9 percent."
http://www.isuppli.com/media-research/news/pages/international-movie-market-continues-to-increase-lead-over-us.aspx