The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780812973822)

In this unprecedented, all-encompassing, and thoroughly entertaining account of the movie business, acclaimed writer Edward Jay Epstein reveals the real magic behind moviemaking: how the studios make their money.

Epstein shows that in Hollywood, the only art that matters is the art of the deal: Major films turn huge profits not from the movies themselves but through myriad other enterprises, from video-game spin-offs and soundtracks to fast-food tie-ins, and even theme-park rides. The studios may compete for stars and Oscars, but their corporate parents view wth one another in less glamorous markets such as cable, home video, and pay-TV.

Money, though, is only a small part of the Hollywood story; the social and political milieus-power, prestige, and status-tell the rest. Alongside its remarkable financial revelations and incisive profiles of the pioneers who helped build Hollywood, The Big Picture is filled with eye-opening insider stories. If you are interested in Hollywood today and the complex and fascinating way it has evolved in order to survive, you haven' t seen the big picture until you've read The Big Picture.

Author: Edward Jay Epstein
ISBN-10: 0812973828
ISBN-13: 9780812973822
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Language: English
Published: 01/10/2006
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.64lbs
Size: 7.98h x 5.26w x 0.92d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 03/05/2006 pg. 20
Foreword 03/01/2005 pg. 1