The impact of deregulation on the movie box office after Taiwan’s entry into the WTO: the difference-in-differences estimation

This article estimates the impact of Taiwan’s Entry into the WTO on the movie box office. A sample of 2392 box office movies for the period 2002–2010 was examined by using difference-in-differences (DiD) models. The impact of Taiwan’s entry into the WTO on the movie box office was found to be negative by at least 1.83 million USD per year. Contrary to the normal perception of a preference for foreign (Hollywood) movies, the evidence based on a short-run analysis shows that Taiwanese preferred local movies. Compared to foreign movies, a local movie’s box office receipts were on average 2.03–2.41 % higher, ceteris paribus. The evidence corresponds to the discussion of the cultural premium.