Woo's producing partner, Chang, says the need to prove box-office appeal has slowed Woo's creative progression from where he left off in Hong Kong.

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Mr Duerfahrd worries that the pressure to make box-office hits with a wide appeal is taking a toll on both bad and good movies.

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He generally participates in ensemble casts -- Anna Karenina, the Sherlock Holmes franchise, Soderbergh's Contagion, The Holiday -- making his singular box office appeal somewhat more elusive.

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The Beaver's blend of darkly humorous drama - not to mention belief in a talking glove puppet - did not appeal to box office audiences in the States.

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Nevertheless, he retained his appeal at the ballot box until the end - winning a fourth term in office with 54% of the vote in October 2012, though his illness prevented him ever being sworn in.

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Rather than gauge box office appeal, Relativity instead listens to what cable executives are looking for. (Need 35-year-old women at 8 p.m.? Check.) He then plugs data into his computers and offers up solutions in the form of specific show ideas.

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