why are western countries so infatuated with japanese culture instead of..

[mrstickball]

A few cheaply-made American movies as of late:

Obsessed - $20m
Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $26m
Gran Torino - $33m
Slumdog Millionaire - $15m
The Wrestler - $6m

And my favorite: Fireproof
$500,000 budget. $33.4m box office cume, and massive DVD sales.

There are plenty of non-blockbuster movies made in the US on the cheap. Once Upon a Time in Mexico was a great example - $29m budget with a big-name cast.