Introduction

Through established and emerging markets — in theaters; on video, laser disc, and DVDs; via network, cable and satellite broadcasts; on the web — Hollywood films shape and express how we see — or don’t see — our bodies, our selves. ¹ In the last two decades, dramatic changes have occurred. Vertical and horizontal integration have increased substantially as “global companies … respond[ed] to the demands of segments of the market … ‘search[ing] for opportunities to sell to similar segments throughout the globe to achieve the scale economies that keep their costs competitive.’” ² Transnational corporations have acquired U.S. studios. Media and telecommunications corporations have merged. ³ Production may be farmed out to smaller companies, but “independent” films, too, are marketed through international distribution and exhibition networks. ⁴ All sizes of films address niche as well as general and cross-over audiences. As before, star power and genre trends propel production cycles, but today directors and dialog matter less to box office take, while bodily spectacle and blasting sound matter more. ⁵