Paraphrased from Empire, August 2004, 'Remade in the USA'

Takashi Shimizu, director of Ju-On: The Grudge, was retained for the Hollywood remake of his film in the latest of a long line of Eastern horror flicks being remade into mainstream frightfests by US studios.
This, however, is a rare case where the original director has been retained. He says: 'I didn't actually want to do it, because I'd already done the original. But Sam (Raimi) really wanted me to do it again because the taste I have has never been done in America as a horror movie. That kind of taste can only be brought by me'.
>Hence we can see that a director's individual artistic style and approach is still valued by some of the main Hollywood players, despite the fact that it runs along the lines of commercial profitability like any other industry (obviously).
The Ring was the first in this trend. Its rights were bought for $1 million and it made more than $100 million in its first five weeks in the US alone. Given that the original spawned a sequel, a prequel and a TV series in its native Japan, it's easy to see why US studios were interested.
>It appears the American companies take a more pragmatic approach in evaluating a film's commercial potential.
"Every Asian film is a target for idea-hungry studios", says Mike Goodridge of Screen International, "and some executives specifically scour all output from Japan and South Korea for remake potential. One in particular, Roy Lee, an Asian-American producer, has developed a special talent for brokering deals between local producers and the studios by identifying which films would suit a US remake. He's the brains behind The Ring and The Grudge, as well as Infernal Affairs (since remade by Scorsese) and Dark Water".
Meanwhile Dreamworks has plans for Ring 2 (completed) and a remake of Korean ghost story A Tale of Two Sisters (apparently underway). But how long can this trend continue? "It will go on as long as there are films out there", says Goodridge, "Dreamworks' version of The Ring outgrossed the original in Japan. Bizzarely, it seems that even in Asia, there's a market for US remakes".
>Proving that cultural variations and nuances are less significant than I had thought. Although I can't see this continuing in force.