John Carter, previously John Carter of Mars, previously A Princess of Mars, could be the biggest movie write-off of all time.
posted by Artw on Feb 17, 2012 - 382 comments

New York Mag presents the balance sheets of an A-List actor for our perusal.
posted by reenum on Jan 31, 2012 - 176 comments

A New Yorker profile of consummate dealmaker Irving 'Swifty' Lazar. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Feb 9, 2011 - 9 comments

Hollywood ate my childhood [or] Why film remakes are desecrating our most precious memories. Hint: it's the money. [more inside]
posted by philip-random on Jul 23, 2010 - 276 comments

As the Writer's Guild of America strike wears on into its second week, it seems appropriate to remember why they're striking in the first place. If you ask me, the terms seem almost too reasonable. But in the defense of the studios, I'm sure the businessmen involved have gotten used to spending those millions of dollars, and wouldn't want to see them go. Now that Broadway has shut down in allegiance to their Hollywood compatriots, things are looking grim for anything to be resolved without more financial bloodshed.
posted by GoodAaron on Nov 10, 2007 - 90 comments

Need cash to make your own blockbuster? Edward Jay Epstein, author of The Big Picture, reveals how they do it: by taking a popular franchise and turning to immediate write-offs in tax shelters such as Germany, so that money starts coming in even before the movie enters production. No wonder we've been seeing so much crap as of late, with poor box office figures not hurting studios the way they really ought to.
posted by Goblindegook on Apr 25, 2005 - 29 comments

Peter Jackson sues New Line. Over money, naturally. Can 'the little hobbit that could' defeat the mysterious Dark Lordliness of Hollywood's Creative Accountants? Well, it worked for Stan Lee.
posted by Sparx on Mar 2, 2005 - 30 comments