There are voices in France advocating for a Korean-type screen quota system, seen as a key ingredient in the success of the Korean film industry. At the same time, there are calls in Korea for a French-type subsidy regime to be implented as a way to achieve a further take-off. This paper shows that the Korean screen quota has little correlation with Korea’s success. For the French case, its huge subsidies have had no impact on improving the attractiveness of French movies domestically. The paper concludes by suggesting that an in-depth analysis of the policies pursued by the two countries is crucial toward avoiding a too costly trial-and-error process when designing policies related to cultural industries and culture.