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Ideological Encoding and Cross-Cultural Communication of Hollywood B-Movies: An Analysis Based on Theoretical Frameworks and Exemplary Cases



Author(s)

Dong Zhaoyang, Ye Ting

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2026.10.005

Macao University of Science and Technology, Macao SAR, China； Hebei Institute Of Communications, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

Hollywood B-movies, characterized by low production budgets, generic conventions, and intense sensory stimulation, constitute an indispensable component of the Hollywood film ecosystem. Drawing upon Roland Barthes’ narratological theory of mythology, Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding theory, and Louis Althusser’s theory of Ideological State Apparatuses, this paper constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework encompassing “micro-level semiotic encoding—meso-level communicative decoding—macro-level power regulation.” The study systematically traces the evolutionary trajectory of B-movies from commercial appendages to independent cultural carriers. At the micro level, this research examines the encoding logic through which generic signs construct ideological myths; at the meso level, it reveals the meaning-negotiation mechanisms generated through multiple decoding modes in cross-cultural communication; at the macro level, it elucidates the pathways through which B-movies negotiate code censorship with dominant power structures. The findings demonstrate that B-movies penetrate cultural barriers through potent sensory signs and activate cross-cultural communicative dynamism via polyvalent decoding spaces. They function both as covert vehicles for American cultural soft power export and as mature paradigms for global low-budget genre film production and distribution.

Hollywood B-movies, ideological encoding, cross-cultural communication, mythology, Ideological State Apparatuses