The Gross
The Hits, the Flops: The Summer That Ate Hollywood

When movies cost hundreds of millions to make and market, the magnitude of the wagers is astonishing. Vast riches rain down on those who gamble wisely, and careers are made and lost in one weekend. But never is this boxoffice race more feverish than during the summer blockbuster season, when the studios roll out their most expensive, effectsladen pictures in a feverish race to win the boxoffice derby.Peter Bart, editorinchief of Variety, brings us a marvelously entertaining behindthescenes portrait of moviemaking, spotlighting the summer of 1998. He takes us through the entire cycle of wouldbe summer blockbusters, from script through casting and production and finally into release. Interviewing dozens of the most powerful names in Hollywood, Bart gives an indepth account of why some succeeded and others failed.