( CNN ) -- It 's been 15 years since Darius and Nina fell in love after that pivotal poetry reading in Chicago , but fans of `` Love Jones '' are still talking about the pair 's epic romance . A highbrow , dramatic love story between two young African-Americans , `` Love Jones '' grossed a mere $ 12 million at the domestic box office in 1997 , but it has an enduring cult following that can certainly be attributed to the film 's authenticity . One month after `` Love Jones ' `` 15th anniversary , however , `` Think Like A Man '' earned more than $ 39 million domestically in its first week . Featuring a predominantly African-American ensemble cast , the film adaptation of Steve Harvey 's best-selling nonfiction book , raises a frequent question : Is Hollywood finally ready to support more movies featuring African-American love ? The creators behind these stories have hoped the answer to that question would be `` yes '' `` a million times '' before , said `` Love and Basketball '' writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood . `` Maybe ( 'Think Like A Man ' ) is the spark . '' Filmmakers say Hollywood executives , often citing humble box office numbers , can be skeptical when it comes to pouring money into African-American productions . Prince-Bythewood 's 2000 movie , for example , is still a fan favorite but earned just $ 27 million domestically in theaters . Keith Merryman and David A. Newman , who wrote the screenplay for `` Think Like A Man , '' say it 's difficult to get financing for a black film . The film only had $ 12.5 million to play with , but given its box office success thus far , the men hope bigger budgets will increasingly be available to films featuring actors of color . With the exception of Taraji P. Henson 's character , Lauren , who was written as an African-American , Merryman and Newman said , they `` did n't know what color the whole thing was going to be going in . '' Their main concern , Newman said , was exploring the universal differences between men and women . The pair said they have an interracial couple they wanted in the film and their race `` is never commented on , '' but the couple 's problems stem from the fact that he refuses to grow up and be a man . `` African-American filmmakers , we know the audience is there , '' `` Love & Basketball 's '' Prince-Bythewood said . `` It 's just , the films that are made are not always as great as they can be , so when one fails , they think , 'the African-American audience is n't going , ' as opposed to , 'it was n't a very good movie . ' `` `` Love Jones '' writer/director Theodore Witcher adds that when one action movie fails at the box office , nobody assumes it 's because people are n't interested in seeing action movies . But that 's been the case with romantic dramas . `` There 's a dearth of love stories in general , '' said Witcher , who 's currently working on a `` Love Jones '' sequel . `` You do n't see a lot of romantic dramas from Hollywood of any kind . ... By the time that concept trickles down to black people , there 's nothing really . '' Most of the movies starring African-American casts that do feature a love story are meant to be comedic and aimed at a very specific audience , Prince-Bythewood said . ( Even `` Think Like A Man , '' which rests on its love stories , is very much a comedy . ) And although Tyler Perry 's films routinely attract moviegoers , studios seem to view his movies as a separate genre , she continued . `` I would love to just obliterate this idea of black film being a genre , '' she said . `` It should n't be a genre . There should just be films with African-American casts . '' `` Think Like A Man '' might have attracted a more mainstream audience because of the way it was marketed . There were advertisements for the film all over the place , Prince-Bythewood said . It appeared to target a much wider demographic than films like `` Love & Basketball '' and `` Love Jones , '' she added . Whether the flick will continue to draw crowds in its second weekend at the box office remains to be seen , but its performance to date might be enough to warrant more films of its kind -- and quite possibly a sequel , as one of the film 's stars , Kevin Hart , recently suggested . When a movie like `` Think Like A Man '' comes out , audiences flock to theaters , Prince-Bythewood said . `` There 's a huge audience out there , starved for content . ''
After `` Love Jones ' `` 15th anniversary , `` Think Like A Man '' earns $ 39 million . The film is a remake of the Japanese movie titled " Tokyo Godfathers " which was released in Japan on December 31, 2013. Screenwriters say it 's hard to get financing for a black film .