Why the future of popular culture will revolve around ever bigger bets on entertainment products, by one of Harvard Business School's most popular professorsWhat's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL-along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals?Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School's expert on the entertainment industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds of media and sports for more than a decade. Now, in this groundbreaking book, she explains a powerful truth about the fiercely competitive world of entertainment: building a business around blockbuster products-the movies, television shows, songs, and books that are hugely expensive to produce and market-is the surest path to long-term success. Along the way, she reveals why entertainment executives often spend outrageous amounts of money in search of the next blockbuster, why superstars are paid unimaginable sums, and how digital technologies are transforming the entertainment landscape.Full of inside stories emerging from Elberse's unprecedented access to some of the world's most successful entertainment brands, Blockbusters is destined to become required reading for anyone seeking to understand how the entertainment industry really works-and how to navigate today's high-stakes business world at large.

CONTENTSPrologue: Show Business-a Business of BlockbustersOne: Betting on BlockbustersWarner Bros. Entertainment, Grand Central Publishing, Marvel EntertainmentTwo: Launching and Managing BlockbustersLady Gaga, Octone RecordsThree: Investing in SuperstarsReal Madrid, Boca JuniorsFour: How Superstars Use Their PowersMGM and Tom Cruise, Maria Sharapova, LeBron JamesFive: Will Digital Technology End the Dominance of Blockbusters?YouTube, Hulu, the Metropolitan OperaSix: Will Digital Technology Threaten Powerful Producers?Radiohead, Major League Baseball, the National Football LeagueSeven: The Future of Blockbuster StrategiesJay-Z, Lady GagaEpilogue: No Business Like Show Business?Marquee New York CityNotesIndex