In a Freakonomics meets Hollywood saga, veteran investigative reporter Edward Jay Epstein goes undercover to explore Hollywood’s “invisible money machine,” probing the dazzlingly complicated finances behind the hits and the flops, while he answers the surprisingly puzzling question: How do the studios make their money?

Along the way we also learn much about star system and what makes the business tick:

+ What it costs to insure Nicole Kidman’s right knee ...

+ How and why the studios harvest silver from old film prints ...

+ Why stars do—or don’t do—their own stunts ...

+ Why Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered a contract genius ...

+ How Hollywood goes about doping outside investors and hedge fund managers ...

+ Why Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is considered a “masterpiece” of financing ...