Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

'Arrival' screenwriter Eric Heisserer on making a movie about aliens... and linguistics

Jan 2, 2017
The smart sci-fi mystery plays with heady concepts usually reserved for a college course, not a movie theater
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 06: (L-R) Screenwriter Eric Heisserer, producer Aaron Ryder, producer Shawn Levy, actress Amy Adams, actor Jeremy Renner and producer Dan Levine attend the LA Premiere of the Paramount Pictures Title 'Arrival' at Regency Village Theatre on November 6, 2016 in Westwood, California.
 
Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures International

Movie bottleneck hits the multiplex

Dec 27, 2016
In the last half of December, upwards of 20 new releases hit theaters.

Big Soda and the rise of product placement

Nov 21, 2016
Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi transformed product placement into an art, rather than just an incidental opportunity for advertising.
A general view of a new Coca-Cola aluminum bottle during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2009 at Bryant Park on February 16, 2009 in New York City. 
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The Coca Cola Company

After election stress, movie-going and NFL ratings are up

Nov 14, 2016
Now that the bruising campaign cycle is over, people are ready for an escape.
Viewership was up for the New England Patriots game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Doctor Strange is Marvel's latest box office hit

Nov 7, 2016
The comic franchise has won new fans with its Hollywood offerings.
A view of the atmosphere at The Los Angeles World Premiere of Marvel Studios’ 'Doctor Strange” in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 20, 2016. 

 
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Chinese firm Wanda to buy Dick Clark Productions

Nov 4, 2016
The Chinese Company Dalian Wanda Group has been on a shopping spree in Hollywood. Today, the company announced that it bought Dick Clark Productions. That gives them the rights to high-profile events like the Golden Globes awards and the Miss American Pageant. Marketplace’s Reema Khrais reports on the latest buy from Wanda, and what it […]
Dalian Wanda is buying Dick Clark Productions, its first step into TV production. Above, the Wanda cinema next to the Wanda Group building in Beijing. 
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

TV beats movies when it comes to diverse programming

Nov 1, 2016
The television industry is learning to let more people of color in, but the movie industry still has strides to make.
NYT film critic Wesley Morris says Moonlight is an exquisite film about "being a black male" and the societal construction around black male identity. 
David Bornfriend/ A24

Licensed merchandise is up $10 billion

Sep 1, 2016
There's even a license for an original paint color - Minion Yellow.
Spanish singer Abraham Mateo attends 'The Minions' photocall at the Hesperia Hotel in Madrid, Spain. The merchandise of popular movies like 'Minions' has amassed $10 billion, with licensed toys, shirts, games, mobile applications and more.

 
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

"Good ideas never die at Disney"

Aug 29, 2016
Disney almost shut down in the 1940s, but they were also the studio's most creative time.
Sylvia Holland's concept painting for the "Pastoral Symphony" sequence in Fantasia.  
They Drew as They Pleased: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Musical Years: The 1940s by Didier Ghez