Fox Remaking 'Man on Fire,' 'Working Girl' for Russia

We've seen our fair share of foreign language remakes arriving on American shores over the years, and now it's working in reverse. Fox will rework films in its catalog, beginning with Man on Fire and Working Girl being tailored for Russian audiences. In addition, Variety reports that a Japanese version of Working Girl will be developed. Why would Fox International Pictures care about these markets? I found this number fascinating: 60% of the $2 billion made in Japanese box office receipts came from homegrown films. So if Fox can be in that 60% instead of the other 40%, well, isn't that a better business move? Plus, look at it from the U.S. perspective: How well do foreign language movies do here in the states? Wouldn't Fox stand to be more aggressive in other markets making movies in the native languages of the areas? Makes sense to me. The remakes are slated to have budgets of around $4 million, and will bolster Fox's already sturdy business model in some foreign territories, particularly in Russia, where the company has been responsible for the releases of Night Watch and Day Watch.