Hollywood has long been an enthusiastic remaker of foreign films, including ones from Japan. Kurosawa was an early favorite since his samurai could easily be repurposed as cowboys, beginning with "The Magnificent Seven," the 1960 remake of "The Seven Samurai," (1954).
J-horror was also once a fertile remake hunting ground, with the hit shockers "Ring" (1998) and "Ju-on" ("The Grudge," 2002) getting Hollywood do-overs, but pickings have since become slimmer.
Now Hollywood, which has been losing its market share to domestic films in major territories around the world, has decided to join the competition by making local-language versions of its past hits. Disney, for example, is churning out international remakes of "High School Musical," though Japan has been spared, so far.
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