logo
episode-header-image
Jul 16
9m 30s

The story of China and Hollywood's big-s...

NPR
About this episode
No country can come close to the amount of money Americans spend at the box office each year ... that is, until China came along. The US and Chinese film industries have a long intertwined history, with shifting power dynamics.

Today on the show, we continue our week-long look at the movie business as we explore the on-and-off romance between Hollywood and China's film industries.

Related episodes:
Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA? (Apple / Spotify)
Before La La Land there was Fort Lee, New Jersey (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by
Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 10
Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes
As Vice Week wraps up here at The Indicator, we wanted to take a slightly different perspective on the evolving business of crime and take a look at TRUE crime. As in the genre. Because look, people are obsessed with it! Today on the show, our hosts favorite pieces of true crime ... Show More
10m 37s
Oct 9
How AI might mess with financial markets
Market manipulation is an age-old issue. People trying to make money off unsuspecting investors by artificially influencing the price of a stock, say. But what happens when the one manipulating markets isn't human? This week on The Indicator from Planet Money, we bring you five e ... Show More
10m 13s
Oct 8
When cartels start to diversify
The Sinaloa Cartel made the bulk of its money on cocaine. But cartels are diversifying into new operations including things like wildlife trafficking. Think sharks, jaguars, capybaras. The result is something called “narco-degradation.” On today’s show, we look at what’s driving ... Show More
9 m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 10
🤏 “Ozempic iPhone” — Apple’s iPhone “Air”. Ben & Jerry’s revolt. Sphere’s 4D Wizard of Oz. +Anti-Shoe-Startups.
Apple just unveiled the iPhone Air… for Apple, it’s survival by a thousand features.Wizard of Oz at the Sphere is basically the metaverse… and the blockbuster of 2025.Ben & Jerry are calling for their namesake brand to be freed from Unilever.Plus, the hot new startup trend… is no ... Show More
22m 8s
Jul 22
Did kids movies save Hollywood?
Films for children and young adults are giving a major boost to cinemas. The recent A Minecraft Movie smashed records, making $301 million globally in its opening weekend - the biggest ever for a video game adaptation. In 2024, Inside Out 2 led the global box office earning $1.69 ... Show More
17m 31s
May 2025
Patrick McGee on the Apple-China Toxic Nexus and Where India Stands
From Steve Jobs’s design obsession to Cold War-like entanglements in China, Apple’s supply chain story is as much geopolitical as it is operational. In this episode of The Morning Brief, hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Dia Rekhi speak with Financial Times’ lead Apple reporter, journa ... Show More
40m 7s
Jun 2025
The Conservative Trying to Shift America Rightward... One Movie at a Time
Leonard Leo is a conservative lawyer and co-chairman of the Federalist Society who played a significant role in shifting the U.S. Supreme Court rightward. Now he is focusing his efforts on reshaping American culture through entertainment. He’s channeling funds towards high produc ... Show More
18m 19s
May 2025
Trump goes to Hollywood
President Trump has announced plans to impose a levy on on American films made outside the country. It's a bold move that could have serious consequences for the global film industry. What do these proposed tariffs mean for the UK film sector, and is this a savvy strategy to revi ... Show More
31m 55s
Sep 1
The Made in the USA myth
This special feed drop of NPR's Planet Money examines the United States' dwindling domestic garment industry and whether it is ever likely to come back. This episode was reported and hosted by Sarah Gonzalez, produced by Willa Rubin with help from Emma Peaslee, edited by Marianne ... Show More
31m 55s
Sep 2024
Laser focus on US payrolls data
Global equity markets struggled to find interest in the last 24 hours as traders and investors alike digested more US and European data whilst waiting with baited breath for today’s US non-farm payrolls data. The only area that saw appetite was the tech sector, in particular the ... Show More
16m 48s
Sep 29
China Has Mass. Can America Catch Up?
Ben, Marc, and Erik Torenberg are joined by Brian Schimpf, Cofounder & CEO of Anduril, and Chris Power, Founder & CEO of Hadrian. Together, they dig into America’s defense production gap: why the U.S. can out-innovate but not out-produce—and what it will take to turn that around. ... Show More
56m 21s
Apr 2025
US tariffs bite Chinese industry
Apple plans to shift the assembly of all US-sold iPhones to India as soon as next year, factories in China have begun slowing production and furloughing some workers in the aftermath of US tariffs, and Alphabet shares rose after it reported first-quarter profit surged 46 per cent ... Show More
11m 5s