Hollywood is on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Worried about an industry wide writers’ strike, struck by a series of theater-chain bankruptcies(破产), burdened with unreasonable corporate profit, requirements and seemingly incapable of producing consistently creative movies, the American film industry is in a period of soul-searching. There’s little doubt it will survive this crisis. But most insiders agree there is disease at both ends of the business—where film are produced, and where they’re shown---that may take years to overcome.
While annual box-office income increases for nine straight years, largely due to increased ticket prices, the number of actual tickets sold declined for the second year in a row. The construction boom has added nearly 10,000 theaters(more than 200,000 more seats) in the last five years. But due to a static(静止的)audience base, eight major chains have gone into bankruptcy and several others are in terrible financial situations.
In fact, insiders say, Hollywood is now in a business it does not want to be in. “There’s a general problem in that the companies that have the most consistent output of material are least interested in what they’re making,” says former 20th Century Fox CEO, Bill. And, Bill adds, “We’re in a period where movies are getting bigger and more costly and less interesting and fulfilling to an audience.”
Today the studios are under the stress to increase profit margins(营业利润) for their corporate parents, and profit margins are hard to control in a business whose products are seen as impulse buys(即兴购买). Other business can increase profits by cutting costs—buying cheaper material, or making the candy bar smaller. Not Hollywood.
“What we’re cutting is risk,” says the head of one major studio, who asked not to be named, “And risk is what great film has always demanded.” While the studios are avoiding risky concepts, their competitors in the home entertainment business have been expanding the boundaries of the imagination. It was this pressure---in electronic games, the Internet, EVDs----that forced the movie theater chains into a self-destructive craze of expansion.
32. Which of NOT the worry of the American film industry according to the passage?
A. Theater-chain bankruptcy
B. Lack of the advertisement funds
C. The stress to increase corporate profit
D. Being unable to produce creative movies
33. What has directly caused major theater-chains in terrible financial situations?
A. Bigger movies
B. More costly movies
C. Increased ticket prices
D. More theaters but an unchangeable audience base
34. What do we know about the profit of the film industry?
A. It’s not easy to control the profit
B. The studios can shorten the material
C. Cutting the cost can increase the profit
D. The studios can buy cheap material to increase profits
35. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Hollywood will survive financial crisis
B. Hollywood is on the edge of destruction
C. It’s hard to increase the profits of the studios
D. The construction boom leads to theater-chain bankruptcies
BDAB
冀教版四年级上unit2《Lesson16 Again please》word同步测试题
冀教版英语四年级下册单元试题-Unit 3
冀教版四年级上unit1《lesson1 where is my library》word同步测试题
牛津苏教英语四年级期中试题-下册
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 6
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 1
冀教版英语四年级上册单元试题-Unit1-2
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 3-4
牛津苏教英语四年级期中试题-下册(一)
冀教版四年级上unit4《Lesson30 what do they eat》word同步测试题
冀教版四年级上unit3《Lesson20 More Animals》word同步测试题
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 1-2
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 10
外研版(一起)第八册Module 8《Unit 2 The captial of America is Washington ,D.C》word同步测试题
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 8
冀教版英语四年级下册单元试题-Unit 2
牛津苏教英语四年级期末试题-下册(二)
牛津苏教英语四年级期末试题-下册(三)
冀教版四年级上unit4《Lesson31 The lonely lion》word同步测试题2套
冀教版四年级上unit2《Lesson13 Where do they work》word同步测试题2套
冀教版四年级上unit2《Lesson9 Let’s go shopping》word同步测试题2套
牛津苏教英语四年级期中试题(上册)
冀教版四年级下Unit1《lesson 7 are you ready for a quiz》word同步测试包(含听力)
冀教版四年级下Unit1《lesson 5 how many do i have》word同步测试包(含听力)
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 4
冀教版四年级上unit1《Lesson7 I’m lost》word同步测试题2套
冀教版四年级上unit2《Lesson14 Months of the year》word同步测试题2套
外研版英语四年级单元试题-下册Module 2
冀教版四年级上unit1《Lesson8 Again,Please》word同步测试题2套
冀教版英语四年级下册单元试题-Unit 4