[kenth]

What's the percentage of ticket sales that goes back to the studios to recoup their costs?

[Darkwolf377]

It's on a sliding scale. The rule of thumb is that the gate is split 80/20 the first two weeks with the studio getting the 80; then it gradually drops until it's about 50/50 within a few weeks.

But there are all kinds of variables--budget; prints; ads; tie-in income; advanced selling to DVD; foreign sales--that make it tough to figure out what is a profitable movie and what is not.

The way it's estimated: Double your budget and you are hitting profit.