But black films without big stars are often barely seen outside North America. Consider 1997's ''Soul Food,'' which made $43 million domestically, but only $1.8 million abroad; Ice Cube's ''Next Friday'' grossed $57 million at home but just $2.5 million overseas. However, some feel studios could do better if they tried. ''It's a self-fulfilling prophecy -- the studios feel like it's not going to work, so let's not even bother promoting it,'' says director Malcolm D. Lee, whose ''Undercover Brother'' is in very modest foreign release.

Tillman is a believer in the power of positive promotion: He saw it work for ''Men of Honor,'' a 2000 biopic he directed about a pioneering Navy diver (Cuba Gooding Jr.) that grossed $82 million, nearly $33 million of it internationally. ''If I can do it with a black period drama...anyone can do it,'' he says. ''My [foreign] residual check for that film is just about how much I got paid to direct it.''

Buoyed by ''Barbershop'''s success, MGM vice chair-COO Chris McGurk promises an aggressive foreign campaign. ''I think we're going to do better overseas than many of the other urban films in the past couple of years.'' In this context, ''urban'' doesn't mean ''black'' -- but ''profitable.''

Originally posted Oct 04, 2002 Published in issue #677 Oct 11, 2002 Order article reprints
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