The Indicator from Planet Money

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The movies come to Indicators of the Week. We dig into why one film is letting you reserve tickets a whole year in advance, what ticket prices might tell us about tariffs and inflation, and how Los Angeles might be cutting back on the red tape when it comes to making movies there. Related episodes: Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000717211557] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/67jE1vNxoS2J6AEGMqdV6l?si=7b1e99eb9c01479f]) The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000717411556] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HnjgZM1ZbHsB0dt9oJoAq?si=3a20f54272ed4aa6]) When is cosplay a crime? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000717592960] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2yTvPt22jgzZyGnv5it2NP?si=253af2640593475a]) Before La La Land, there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000716879749] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qkfwCRFpLvzWpth409jsL?si=1b7bac9c3bc54037]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Cosplay—or dressing up as your favorite character from pop culture—is fun! But it can fall into a legal gray area when it comes to companies' intellectual property. Today on the show: a group of cosplayers, Lucasfilm(!), a lawyer, and finding economic symbiosis in order to express yourself. Related episodes: Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-la-la-land-there-was-fort-lee-new-jersey/id1320118593?i=1000716879749] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qkfwCRFpLvzWpth409jsL]) Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-arent-filmmakers-shooting-in-la/id1320118593?i=1000717211557] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/67jE1vNxoS2J6AEGMqdV6l]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

No country can come close to the amount of money Americans spend at the box office each year ... that is, until China came along. The US and Chinese film industries have a long intertwined history, with shifting power dynamics. Today on the show, we continue our week-long look at the movie business as we explore the on-and-off romance between Hollywood and China's film industries. Related episodes: Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-arent-filmmakers-shooting-in-la/id1320118593?i=1000717211557] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/67jE1vNxoS2J6AEGMqdV6l?si=QMZPFgz8TYqCWP9iHdGtqw]) Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-la-la-land-there-was-fort-lee-new-jersey/id1320118593?i=1000716879749] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qkfwCRFpLvzWpth409jsL?si=HvhkhXY1RNKDSuXN8qrkbw]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Despite being, ya know, Hollywood, more and more movies and TV shows are shooting outside of Tinseltown. Dozens of U.S. states and many countries offer subsidies for film production. This has drawn filmmakers away from L.A. and led to historically low levels of shooting activity in recent years in the city. After the COVID shutdowns, labor strikes, and January's devastating wildfires ... what can bring back LA's film industry? Related episodes: Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-la-la-land-there-was-fort-lee-new-jersey/id1320118593?i=1000716879749] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qkfwCRFpLvzWpth409jsL?si=45c8ebcc0db44393]) Why residuals are taking center stage in actors' strike (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-residuals-are-taking-center-stage-in-actors-strike/id1320118593?i=1000622583855] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oj2YUVyMCqPjCwHzaWZo2]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]