Movie Industry

The Hays Code was a set of rules that stifled the American film industry for more than three decades. Was it just legal censorship?

By Mark Mancini

The Bechdel Test was created in 1985 and has been used ever since to gauge how women are represented in film and on screen. But how accurate is it and does it really still matter?

By Mark Mancini

The EGOT is the grand slam of show business awards. It's so elusive, just a handful of people have achieved it. Who are they and who might be next?

By Sharise Cunningham

Celebrities usually gush that "it's an honor just to be nominated" for an Oscar or a Grammy. But the folks on our list didn't see it that way.

By Dave Roos

In the city of Cannes, May is the 'month of the movie.' The Cannes Film Festival is the crossroads of international cinema and anybody can submit a film for consideration. But how many are chosen?

By Julia Layton

An Oscar-worthy movie memorabilia auction will be selling it — and other super-cool stuff — this September.

By Sarah Gleim

Movie buffs around the world soon will be glued to their sets. Yes, it's almost Oscar time. Get the skinny on the rules of Academy voting and on the famous gold guy himself.

By Melissa Russell-Ausley & Tom Harris

When Ron Howard took over the new "Star Wars" film, people wondered how often this type of switcheroo happens. Turns out it's a lot — and it doesn't always end badly.

By Bryan Young

The wintertime success of "The Force Awakens" prompted studios to shift the next Star Wars film to a holiday release. Will this happen more often?

By Chris Opfer

Tony's a guy, right? Was Emmy even a real person? And surprise, the Beard Awards have nothing to do with facial hair. Learn the secrets behind awards' names.

By Laurie L. Dove

Thirty-nine U.S. states offer them as a way to lure movie productions. But many are rethinking their generosity.

By Dave Roos

If a movie stalls out in the process of being made, it's said to be in "development hell." What does the term mean, and how does it happen?

By Debra Ronca

Same colors. Same images. Same poses. Why does Hollywood stick to the tried-and-true for the movie posters adorning your local theater?

By Bambi Turner

Often thought of as the place where bad movies go to die, direct-to-DVD films have become increasingly less about the quality, as Hollywood tries meeting the changing demands of how audiences view movies.

By Bambi Turner

Their names and jobs don't roll through the opening credits, but here's how the crew and services "below the line" affect a movie budget's bottom line.

By Bambi Turner

When Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood clashed with a director, it changed the way movies could be made. But how?

By Bambi Turner

It's Memorial Day weekend, and you're bound for the movies, determined to see the latest blockbuster. How do studios decide the ever-important movie premiere dates in their eternal quest for blockbuster box office bucks?

By Bambi Turner

"Avatar" single-handedly created the recent demand for 3-D movies, but even as interest wanes in the U.S., international audiences continue flocking to the format.

By Bambi Turner

They're the A-list actors, the directors, the ones with their names in lights ... and they don't come cheaply. How do the big names affect the budget of a multimillion-dollar movie?

By Bambi Turner

Making sense of the guesswork that goes into accurately predicting a movie's Sunday sales before the numbers have come in requires simple math, not clairvoyance.

By Bambi Turner

If you were shocked when Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1993 for her role in "My Cousin Vinny" you're not alone. Many people think she wasn't the real winner and it's one of the biggest hoaxes in Oscar history.

By Alison Cooper

The film industry was revolutionized in the 1920s (hello, sound!), but the changes were not without growing pains. What were the wins and losses that taught us how to make great movies?

By Oisin Curran

When it comes to hiding profits, there's no business like show business. Learn how Hollywood accounting practices ensure that, when it comes to certain films, no one makes much money except the studios themselves.

By Melissa Phipps

You might be surprised to learn that movie ratings are not assigned by the studio, filmmaker or even psychologists. It's actually by a group of anonymous parents who make up the MPAA rating board. And that's not all the MPAA does.

By Dave Roos

A good Hollywood blockbuster should be able to defray much of its cost in post-production -- think ticket sales, DVD rentals and merchandising contracts. But an expensive movie also needs some money to start out with. Where does it come from?

By Jessika Toothman