The Silver Screen

Not an art film in the bunch.

The Economist crunches the numbers on how to make profitable movies (bullets added):

First, create a child-friendly superhero film with plenty of action and scope for turning it into a franchise.

Set your budget at an impressive but not reckless $85m.

Convince a major studio to distribute it on wide release in the summer (when releases earn an average of $15m more than at other times).

Lastly, cast two lead actors with a solid but unspectacular box-office history, who are thus not too expensive.

With reasonable reviews from critics and the audience alike, your film would make about $125m at the American box office.

But do it for the money, not the plaudits: such a film would have just a one-in-500 chance of carrying off an Oscar for Best Picture.

What's that? You have a good script? We'll call you back. We're kinda busy right now making movies money.