Hollywood

Hollywood refers to the American film industry, historically centred in Los Angeles. Its influence is less about origin (cinema was invented elsewhere) than about the export of a system: the studio model, the star system, continuity editing, and a three-act commercial structure that became the international baseline.

The studio era gave way in the late 1960s to a director-driven period, which in turn gave way to the blockbuster model that still dominates global box office. Each transition changed not just American film but what audiences everywhere expect a film to look and feel like.

Its contemporary shape is defined by franchise economics, streaming distribution, and the tension between enormously expensive tentpole production and a much smaller space for mid-budget films.