Synopses & Reviews
A fully revised edition of the popular guide to Hollywood finances, updated to reflect even newer films and trendsA fast-and-dirty guide to the financial world behind the movies, The Hollywood Economist was a surprise hit last year. Now Edward Jay Epstein has updated his look into the dazzlingly complicated economics of Hollywood with The Hollywood Economist 2.0 to include:
* The story of MGM: How Sony and Comcast managed to make millions but lost a consortium of hedge funds some $3.7 billion.
* The fate of serious fare: How Pay-TV channels like HBO, AMC, and Showtime have figured out how to make money on shows like The Wire, Mad Men, and Big Love, while the Hollywood studios are still catering to teens.
* Indie finance in trouble: over the last five years, the largest distributors of indie films have closed. How has this affected the makers of indie films?
* The future of Netflix: How the company has found itself competing with the entertainment industry’s biggest players (Apple, HBO, and YouTube) and whether it has the resources to compete in the long term.
What’s more, the book also now includes a practical guide: “What Every Film Student Needs to Know about Hollywood.”
Synopsis
A fully revised edition of the popular guide to Hollywood finances, updated to reflect even newer films and trends In a Freakonomics-meets-Hollywood saga, veteran investigative reporter Edward Jay Epstein goes undercover to explore Hollywood's "invisible money machine," probing the dazzlingly complicated finances behind the hits and flops, while he answers a surprisingly difficult question: How do the studiosmake their money?
We also learn:
+ How and why the studios harvest silver from old film prints ...
+ Why stars do--or don't do--their own stunts ...
+ The future of Netflix: Why the "next big thing" now seems in such deep trouble...
+ What it costs to insure Nicole Kidman's right knee...
+ How Hollywood manipulates Wall Street: including the story of the acquisition of MGM... wherein a consortium of banks and hedge funds lost some $5 billion... while Hollywood made millions.
+ Why Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered a contract genius...
+ The fate of serious fare: How HBO, AMC, and Showtime have found ways to make money offer adult drama, while the Hollywood studios prefer to cater to teen audiences.
+ Why Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is considered a "masterpiece" of financing ...
About the Author
Edward Jay Epstein, who wrote the "Hollywood Economist" column for Slate, is the author of The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood, as well as many other books. He writes frequently for the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, and he lives in New York City. His website is edwardjayepstein.com