Changing business circumstances have put pressure on film studios and changed the nature of films they produce. This book examines the reaction of the corporations who have found themselves in danger or have perceived new ways of adding to their profitability, influencing the films they produce.

Opening weekend is a battle for the hearts and minds (and wallets) of American moviegoers. In Open Wide, Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing expose the blockbuster factory that lies just beyond Hollywood's red carpet. They reveal how movies have become products of instantaneous mass consumption no more enduring than popcorn and soda. They shadow the actors, directors, producers, and studio executives, tracing the trail of blood, sweat, tears, and hundreds of millions at stake in a weekend at the multiplex.

A complete guide to Hollywood's top blockbuster films, from 1939 through 1995, details the five most successful movies of each year

An entertaining collection of photographs and trivia on filmland's biggest box office successes from 1939 through 1988, covering the five most successful movies of each year. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This distinguished group of archaeologists select key subjects and genres used by Hollywood and provide the historical and archaeological depth that a movie cannot--what really happened in history. Topics include Egypt, the Wild West, Civil War submarines, Vikings, the Titanic, and others.

How is a blockbuster made? All it takes is three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Opening weekend at the height of the summer blockbuster season is a gruelling ordeal for studio execs and marketers. In Open Wide, Hayes and Bing take the reader behind the scenes during the first 72 hours of a film's release. They also explore the main phases in the life of a film and also offer a personal look at all the filmmakers, actors, producers and executives that help bring these films to the cinema. This really is the first book to examine, in depth, the importance of the opening weekend.

Steven Spielberg once said, "I like ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in your hand. If a person can tell me the idea in twenty-five words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie." Spielberg's comment embodies the essence of the high concept film, which can be condensed into one simple sentence that inspires marketing campaigns, lures audiences, and separates success from failure at the box office. This pioneering study explores the development and dominance of the high concept movie within commercial Hollywood filmmaking since the late 1970s. Justin Wyatt describes how box office success, always important in Hollywood, became paramount in the era in which major film studios passed into the hands of media conglomerates concerned more with the economics of filmmaking than aesthetics. In particular, he shows how high concept films became fully integrated with their marketing, so that a single phrase ("Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...") could sell the movie to studio executives and provide copy for massive advertising campaigns; a single image or a theme song could instantly remind potential audience members of the movie, and tie-in merchandise could generate millions of dollars in additional income.