Word: fannings
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...also gave Hollywood a humungous jolt of high-octane gas - or should we say Diesel? Vin Diesel, who a few years back was a fan favorite as the thug-hero of The Chronicles of Riddick and xXx, returned to glory as the stolid stud behind the wheel and helped drive his new vehicle to record-breaking numbers. Earning an estimated $72.5 million in its first three days, F&F had the biggest opening not only of any 2009 film but also of any movie released in the normally somnolent month of April. (Previous top dog of the cruelest month...
...People in other countries go to the movies too, though the international box-office results aren't widely noted here. But for a fan of that endangered species, foreign films, it's cheering to note that movies Americans have never heard of can pull in blockbuster numbers. Recent global winners include the French comedy Welcome to the Sticks, at $243 million; the first installment of the two-part Red Cliff, John Woo's return to Chinese-language action films, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro, which has taken in $125 million; and Hayao Miyazaki's charming anim...
...misconception is that every dollar a fan spends in a host city directly benefits the city. Some of the money coming into Detroit will leave it just as quickly. Take hotels, for example. The Marriott and Sheraton may be full, but a chunk of that revenue flows to corporate headquarters outside of the city. The same holds for national restaurant chains like McDonald's. And the NCAA takes about 65% of the revenues from game tickets...
...Perhaps the cruelest irony is that while the press has portrayed Michigan State's berth as a gift to a troubled city, from an economic point of view the Spartans' success may actually hurt Detroit. Yes, since a Michigan team is playing in the game, more fans will be crowding Detroit's bars and shops than there otherwise would have been. But since Lansing is a neighbor, a reduction in local hotel stays could offset this revenue. Fewer out-of-towners also means less spending at the airport and on transportation (cabs, rental cars, and so on). Also...
...appearance is definitely a drawback. "Financially, the state of Michigan would have been happy if there were four teams out of state," says Jason Winfree, a University of Michigan sports economist. If, say, UCLA had made the Final Four instead of Michigan State, thousands of the school's fans would have flown to Detroit to spend money. All of that cash is a windfall to the struggling state - without the Final Four, none of those Californians and UCLA fans throughout the nation were heading to Michigan to hang out for the weekend (OK, a handful might have family or some...