Word: makeing
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Dates: during 1990-1990
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...star-struck world of Hollywood economics, many studio bosses see a film's big budget as an insurance policy against failure. "Hollywood is a place full of scared people," says Alex Ben Block, editor in chief of Show Biz News, a weekly newsletter. "It's less scary to make a $50 million film than a $10 million film. For $50 million you can afford big stars and special effects and know you'll get some money back -- even if it's only on videocassette sales. With a $10 million film with no stars, you run the risk of losing...
Studios abide such extravagance because their executives have visions of global markets that are hungry for Hollywood films. For every $1 that American films earn in the U.S., they typically make another 70 cents overseas. "You now have to look at movies as a worldwide business," says Thomas Pollock, chairman of Universal Pictures Motion Picture Group. "Where you get your revenues from has changed radically over the past several years. Few films make their money back just from theatrical releases...
...single market, studios spend prodigiously to promote their films at home. Marketing expenses can equal the cost of producing a picture. Says Mara Balsbaugh, an industry analyst for Smith Barney: "It used to cost $5 million to $6 million to open a movie. Now it costs $15 million." To make a big splash, a major film might open on as many as 2,100 screens. The prints alone, at $2,000 apiece, would cost $4.2 million...
Some moviemakers think this summer's crop may include some disasters. "I can't imagine a more boring lineup of films," says one anxious executive. "The costs are out of hand, and the need for a safety net causes people to make formulas and sequels. I have this incredible sensation that the industry is at the top of a deep rapids and that there's going to be a fatality rate. Anyone who denies that is a fool or a liar...
...Like it or not, you are a role model for a lot of people. How does that make you feel...