See what a high band reads like.

P1The table compares the number of feature films produced and the box-office revenue generated, in US dollars (billions), across five countries in 2019.

P2Overall, India led the world in the volume of films produced by a considerable margin, whereas the United States recorded the highest box-office revenue despite making fewer films than either India or China.

P3India produced the most films by far, at 1,813, which was more than double the output of China (850) and more than twice that of the USA (792). Japan and France contributed substantially fewer titles, at 689 and 301 respectively. Despite this prolific output, India's box-office revenue was the lowest among the five nations, at just US$1.5 billion, closely followed by France at US$1.6 billion.

P4The revenue picture was almost the reverse of production volume. The USA earned the highest box-office receipts at US$11.4 billion, while China followed at US$9.2 billion, giving those two countries combined revenues that dwarfed the remaining three. Japan, which ranked fourth in output, generated US$2 billion at the box office, roughly 1.3 times the figure for both India and France. The data therefore reveal a striking disconnect: the country producing the most films earned the least revenue, while the third-largest producer by volume achieved the greatest financial return.