Currency Woes: Why the Weak Dollar Is Helping — and Hurting — Hollywood

The overseas box office is soaring, and U.S. films are catnip for far-flung buyers. But don’t shoot your movies abroad

While the rest of the economy sputters, Hollywood is enjoying a windfall from the sickly U.S. dollar. The weakened currency is translating into a robust international box office and big profits for the entertainment industry.

But it’s also complicating life for producers who make movies and TV shows overseas, as the fluctuating exchange rate makes planning difficult.

“There’s so much talk in every studio about producing outside the U.S.” because of currency shifts, said Harry Sloan, the former MGM chairman who is spending a lot of time looking at acquisitions overseas with his new media fund, Global Eagle.

Also read: Why America Doesn't Count at the Box Office Anymore

“You shoot when the elements come together and the financing comes together,” said Jeff Steele, a film finance expert and the head of Film Closings said.

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