In Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller plays a bumbling security guard who accidentally unleashes an ancient curse that brings to life all the statues and preserved animals in the American Museum of Natural History, wreaking havoc on New York City. Going by the data from Hollywood Stock Exchange, this movie slated for Thanksgiving release, is projected to bring in $215 million for 20th Century Fox, the highest box office receipts for any film released during the critical holiday season.
The exchange was founded by two men, one who worked in financial services and the other an economist, who both loved movies. HSX gives traders just enough information to be able to play the market. But it collects a great deal more data and uses sophisticated models to project the demographic makeup of a movie audience. It can tell if a certain film will appeal to men in the 18 to 34 age group or whether it will play well with women over 35.
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Hollywood Stock Exchange
Businessweek article
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