Someday soon, American-made superheroes might not play in Pretoria

May 01, 2008 Hollywood studio execs are waiting to see whether a cluster of comic book and action heroes, led by Iron Man today, can make the summer sizzle and thereby power the entire year's boxoffice grosses. Gas prices could keep some families at home, and "Grand Theft Auto IV" might distract young men from going to the multiplex. In Europe, where folks typically regard leisure as more important than lucre, the squeezed middle class is cutting back on trips to the multiplex.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.