What ultimately brings you to a movie theater is not always the stories you get told from the screen, but more often the faces you see.

In order to make a blockbuster movie, a film studio needs to pick the right strategic moves to capture an audience, skyrocket marketing and create an anticipation for customers to go see that film. All of this is accomplished with a household name being plastered on every advertisement for a film. Whether buying talent or popularity, it takes a big chunk of a film budget.

A studio uses a formulation of above-the-line and below-the-line costs to set a budget needed to make a movie. Above-the-line costs consist of the creative aspects needed, like actors, story rights and film development, taking up normally 30-40% of the total budget. Below-the-line costs make up the film production process, turning the visions into reality and using 60-70% of the total budget.

With limited money to spend on what will entice someone to go watch the movie, it needs to be spent strategically. In current trends, having the success from “The Barbie Movie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has given both actors an exponential surge in recognizability from the amount of publicity the film gained during the summer. More recently with Timothée Chalamet’s promotion of the film “Marty Supreme” made viewers aware and willing to see the movie because of Chalamet’s involvement and how it was promoted.

Something that catches the attention of the media easily allows the studio to reduce promotional costs because it is being done for them. A well-known celebrity catches a viewers attention fast and brings in profit for the studio.

Additionally, with the rise of streaming services, the fight to keep movies in theaters continues to grow. However, while streaming services can build new connections with rising stars, studios have the advantage of previous relationships with actors and can use the same cast for similar or a series of films. Actors control the narratives of how films are received by the public rather than the film itself making what they are working with crucial.

Overall, fandoms and talent still sell, but what is also controlling the film industry is the recognizability of actors. With the rise of influence from social media, it makes it easier for streaming services to buy big celebrities due to maintaining a lower production cost and prioritizing marketing their money-making faces.