Crowd Pleaser
-
CinemaCon’s Quiet Wars: Fewer Movies, Bigger Screens — and TikTok in Charge
Behind the optimism in Vegas lies a more fragile theatrical reality
-
‘Mario’ and the New Fandom Flywheel Upending Hollywood
A $372M opening reveals the new power structure: Fans build, amplify and ultimately decide what wins
Latest Crowd Pleaser stories
-
Scenes from the Lobby: Why Movies Flop — The Audience Already Knows
Inside the exit-polling machine that captures what fans actually think: ‘Every movie, if made for the right price, should make money’
-
-
Gen Z Will Make or Break These 7 Upcoming IP Films
From ‘Minecraft’ to ‘Snow White’ lies a divide between loser legacy brands and lived-in fandom. So where will Labubu fit in?
-
Age of Cinemanesia: The Vanishing Afterlife of Movies
Name five classic films from this decade. I’m waiting
-
MoviePass Is Back (Really). This Time, The Bet Isn’t On Tickets
For the first time, co-founder and CEO Stacy Spikes details the company’s collapse and comeback attempt through its own predictions market
-
-
Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Marty Supreme’ Wheaties Sold Out. What That Says About Fandom Today
Merch is on fire even as movies and box office struggle
-
Small-Town Theaters vs. Studios: ‘It Doesn’t Feel Like the Industry Wants Us to Survive’
Cinema owners tell me the two-week mandatory run for movies is crushing them. And that’s even before Warner Bros. falls into new hands
-
How Paul Thomas Anderson Landed in Fortnite, as the Movies-as-Games Era Arrives
SCOOP: I get the story behind the director’s ‘One Battle’ crossover as studios also flood Roblox — and Disney’s Epic Games investment starts to deliver
-
Ghosts in the Balcony: A Cross-Country Trip to 58 Theaters Fighting to Survive
In the worst October for moviegoing since the ’90s, I crossed 20 states to hear the primal screen from people keeping film alive — even when Hollywood won’t
Crowd Pleaser tracks what’s connecting with audiences — and isn’t — offering insight into what’s breaking through, Gen Z’s influence on the market, and which way fans are moving.