Starpedia

Major Studio
Any of the six major film studio-distributors and their subsidiaries - ABC/Disney, CBS/Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal, Time Warner.

Market Tier
A motion picture's market positioning. An outgrowth of budget limitations, collective bargaining agreements and accessible distribution outlets, the term refers to the overlapping but distinctive business communities that comprise the film industry. A film's market tier, however, is not determined by budget size but, rather, by its market positioning as has been enabled by budget and filmmaker ingenuity. (See positioning)

Marquee Star
A motion picture performer whose presence in a leading role will substantially increase the market value of a film to industry wholesalers.

Marquee Value
The anticipated value of a film prior to its release as gauged by the reputations of its major stars and creative personnel.

Maturity Ratings
The international aggregated system of age-appropriate classifications used by Marquee Stars for data analysis. The classifications include: 0+, 7+, 13+, 17+, 18 and NR (not rated).

Megahit
A film that performs with exceeding success at the box office. (See box office performance benchmarks)

Merchandising
The commercial licensing of motion picture and television brand names, logos, story elements and character images to manufacturers of products, such as amusement park attractions, toys, clothing or music albums, who then make items in or emblazoned with the image of the license on the prospect that they will sell better than the same item without such name, story element or image.

Mini-major Studio
Any big film production company-distributor that is not directly owned by a major studio such as Lionsgate or The Weinstein Company.

Minimum Guarantee Deal
A distribution arrangement in which select licensing rights are acquired for a “minimum” price against a negotiable royalty payment to be made after the distributor or sales company recoups the minimum guarantee costs plus any distribution expenses.

Miss
A film that falls just short of noteworthy success at the box office. (See box office performance benchmarks)

Mogul
The head of a major studio or communications company.

Movie
Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.

Movie Star
A celebrity who is well regarded for leading roles in motion pictures or who is recognized as a marketable persona whose name and image can help promote a motion picture. (See MarqueeStar)

Moving Average
An technical indicator used to spot trends in a volatile market by smoothing out the time-sensitive data fluctuations, or “noise,” that obscure interpretation. Graphically, upward momentum is validated when a short-term moving average line rises above a longer-term moving average line. Downward momentum is validated when a short-term line drops below a longer-term line. Mathematically, moving average = datum 1 + datum 2 + … + datum n / n