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This is the first step to becoming a big-league trader. Setting up an account with the Hollywood Stock Exchange® allows
you to trade, earn Hollywood
Dollars®, enter sweepstakes, and more. Getting an account is easy -- simply join the Hollywood Stock Exchange for free
and you'll get two million Hollywood Dollars to buy and sell your favorite movies and stars.
Are you the type of trader who likes to stroll down memory lane and relive your big conquests? Or did you just lose your shirt and you need to find out where you went wrong? Your account history keeps track of all of the trades
you have made so you can either gloat over your triumphs or learn from your mistakes. It also tracks the amount of Hollywood
Dollars that are credited to your account through sweepstakes, open
orders, and cancelled orders.
MovieStocks® adjust in price after their
opening weekend. The adjusted price is equal to the estimated box-office
receipts multiplied by 2.8 (extended weekends adjust differently). Weekend adjusts can make or break an HSX trader.
MovieStocks in wide release will adjust in price based on its opening weekend gross. The adjusted price is calculated based on the following multipliers:
- Three-day weekend: 2.8*Weekend Box Office
- Four-day holiday weekend: 2.2*Weekend Box Office
- Five-day Thanksgiving weekend: 2.0*Weekend Box Office
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday openers: [Week Days B.O. + (2.8*Weekend Box Office)]
- Limited release expanding wide: [Previous B.O. + (Weekend Adjust)]
- Two-day weekend: 4.8*Weekend Box Office
The advanced broker can be found by linking off of the "advanced broker"
section of the mini-broker, found on the left-hand
side of each page. The advanced broker allows traders
to place all basic trades, as well as limit
orders.
The "average price paid" figure represents the amount that you have
paid per share for a particular MovieStock or
StarBonds.
If you bought at different times and different prices, the average of
those prices is calculated excluding any commission
paid.
"AwardOptions" are Hollywood Derivatives based on a special award event. These special securities take the form of options with their own specific rules.
paid.
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See: StarBonds.
This represents the total number of StarBonds
held in a portfolio. Buying StarBonds will
increase this number and selling StarBonds will decrease this number.
The virtual middleman who delivers you to your Hollywood Dollars. The HSX Broker fills all of the trades
you request. For example, if you buy Drew Barrymore's StarBond, the
HSX Broker will fill that trade for you. There are three types of brokers:
the mini-broker, the advanced
broker, and the quick trader.
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Remember the Boy Scouts' slogan, "Be Prepared"? That motto works in all areas of life, especially here at HSX. If you are the type of trader that likes to keep abreast of the latest developments on HSX, our calendar of events offers you an overview of what's happening
on the Exchange. From IPOs
to price adjustments to other market events, check the calendar daily
to keep up with what's happening.
A call option is the opposite of a put option.
A call speculates that the related MovieStock
will have a higher box-office take for its opening weekend than the
strike price. For example, a H$15 call for Jillian in
June has a strike price of H$15, and will cash
out at zero if the movie does not make $15 million or more during
opening weekend. See: Option.
Available Hollywood Dollars, not invested
in MovieStocks or StarBonds.
This occurs when a security is delisted (removed) from the
Exchange. MovieStocks of
wide release films cash out after four weeks of wide release. MovieStocks of films which stay in limited release cash out after twelve weeks. An Option cashes out after a movie's first weekend of release.
The date a MovieStock or Option
is cashed out to owners. Owners on this date
will receive the equivalent value in their cash account.
This is the price in which HSX cashes out MovieStocks and options. A MovieStock is cashed out at H$1 to $1 million equal to the movie's domestic box-office gross after the first four weeks of wide release or after the first 12 weeks of limited release. The HSX source for box-office is Exhibitor Relations Co. If ERC does not report box-office for a film, alternate sources may be used. MovieStocks of films which are not released theatrically cash out at zero. Option cash-out prices are equal to the movie's box-office total during its first weekend of release minus the strike price.
The "change" column in your portfolio represents
the amount each particular security has changed
since 12:01 a.m. EST, in fractions of Hollywood Dollars.
For example, a H$0.75 rise in price would list as +3/4 change.
This number tells you the difference in price from the previous day.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in Hollywood and the same goes for the Hollywood Stock Exchange. Commission is the amount charged to execute a trade. Typically,
commission is equal one percent of the total cost of each trade. So, if you buy a MovieStock and then sell it, you will be charged a two-percent commission on the stock.
This is the first phase in the life of a MovieStock.
Typically, they are drawn from whispers and rumors about a "new" project.
These are pitches which are not, or is no longer, in active development. Dead concept projects may cash out at H$0.
When you are ready to take your profit from a short position on a
MovieStock or StarBonds,
the action of buying back
the position that you sold short is "covering" the short position.
The current price listed in your portfolio is the most recent price for that security
available.
Also known as "market value". This is calculated by multiplying the
current market price by the number of MovieStocks or
StarBonds held.
See: Trader Leagues.
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See Cash Out
See Hollywood Derivatives®.
This is the second phase in the life of a MovieStock.
Development begins once a project has attracted interest. Producers commission a script, talents are attached, and funds are being spent. There is no guarantee that the movie will be made simply because it has reached the development stage, but it definitely has a good chance.
The term "domestic" or "domestically" refers to the amount of money
a movie grosses at the domestic box office. The domestic box office
is comprised of the United States and Canada.
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See: Movie Market
See: Movie Market
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Our traders are some of the most devoted fans in the Internet world. The minute that a movie hits the concept phase or a new StarBond is introduced, you can bet that an HSX
fan site has already got the lowdown on its potential. Our collection of fan sites are built and maintained by HSX traders like yourself, who simply love the experience and are looking to make it better. A fan site is a Web site not affiliated with the Hollywood Stock Exchange
and run by individual traders who do not work
for HSX, yet focus on the Exchange. These sites can be a fantastic source of trading tips and tools. HSX makes
no claims about the accuracy, truthfulness, helpfulness, or content
of these sites, and takes no responsibility for them.
A special managed group of securities in which traders may invest. Funds are subject to price shifts just like other securities, but they are managed by a fund manager. The value of the fund is set
to H$1 for every H$1,000,000 net value of the portfolio
the manager maintains.
If a fund was a circus, this would be the ringmaster. A fund manager manages a fund according to the
rules laid out at the inception of the fund. Some funds may have more
than one manager.
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The term "gross" or "domestic gross" (also known as domestic); refers to the sum of the price of all tickets purchased at the domestic box office, its gross revenue. The domestic box office
is comprised of the United States and Canada.
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A halt is an interruption in trading of a certain security. For MovieStocks, halting always occurs the day of a film's wide release. Trading resumes when estimates of the box-office numbers for the opening weekend are released. For StarBonds, halting occurs the day their credited MovieStock is cash out from the Exchange.
A Hollywood Derivative is a short-term investment security based around a specific entertainment event, such as a film's opening weekend, award ceremonies, or TV shows. They take the form of either
options or warrants.
Hollywood Dollars are the official currency of the Hollywood
Stock Exchange. When you
join the Hollywood Stock Exchange, you are given two million Hollywood
Dollars. Your job is to use the money to the best of your abilities on the Exchange and profit from it. There are traders on HSX that have taken their initial two
million Hollywood Dollars and turned them into over a billion
Hollywood Dollars! That has given them the chance to become leaders
in the HSX community. If you play your dollars wisely, you too can become the next HSX mogul.
Welcome to the Hollywood Stock Exchange -- where Wall Street meets
Hollywood! The Hollywood Stock Exchange is a simulated entertainment
stock market where you can trade movies, stars, and
more, just as you would stocks and bonds. You can trade for FREE, earn Hollywood
Dollars, check out
the latest news, chat with other entertainment buffs, and more!
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An index is an average of a group of securities
that have something in common. Indices can be based on studio release
slates, genre, or any other common thread.
Interest is gained from the money market account, which is where unspent
cash stays. The longer it remains in the market account untouched, the more interest is accumulated. It's one of the few sure moneymakers at HSX.
This is the annual interest rate paid on the
cash that traders hold in their Cash
accounts.
Hollywood Dollars spent on MovieStocks, StarBonds,
or other securities are considered investments.
When a brand-spanking new security is added to
the Exchange
it is known as the initial public offering (IPO). The first day
that a MovieStock or StarBond is traded, the price will remain the same.
This is the first date on which MovieStocks,
StarBonds, or other securities are available for purchase.
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The most recent price at which a security
was traded.
So, you think you're the Jedi Master of the Exchange, do you? Join the Leader Board and prove it, hotshot. This is where Hollywood
Stock Exchange traders are ranked
based on the value and performance of their portfolio.
Rankings include week-to-date, month-to-date,
season-to-date, year-to-date, and lifetime
-- the Holy Grail for many HSX traders.
A "Limit order" allows a trader to place an order for a trade when a security hits a certain price. A "Limit buy order" at H$50 means that when the price of a MovieStock drops to H$50, a market order to purchase the specified number of shares is placed. A "Limit sell order" at H$50 means that when the price of a MovieStock rises to H$50, a market order to sell the specified number of shares is placed in the order queue. In both cases, the actual transaction price depends on the security's market price at the time the trade is actually processed. Therefore, the actual transaction price may be slightly different from the "Limit order" price.
The price at which a Limit order will execute or better. In the case of a buy or cover, it is most advantageous to get the Limit price or lower, so that's when the Limit price executes. For sells and shorts, the Limit order will execute at the Limit price or higher.
A film that opens domestically on less than 650 screens is considered a limited release.
MovieStocks of limited release films that never go into
wide release cash out after 12 weeks
at the box office.
These are the magic words that you use to open the doors at HSX. A login is the account name you chose upon registration for the Hollywood
Stock Exchange. One would use their login and password to log in
to the Exchange. Login name will also be used
to gain access to Ticker Talk.
Buying "long" on a MovieStock or StarBonds, means the same as a normal
buy. Buying long is the opposite of selling
short.
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HSX defines market manipulation as engaging in any activity which may artificially affect the market price of a security, or any other HSX market information. Market manipulation may include, but is not limited to: coordinated trading by different HSX accounts, unauthorized computer-assisted trading using a single or multiple HSX accounts, inappropriate disclosure of trading activity, and misrepresentation of information to the HSX community. HSX will impose heavy fines and/or trading restrictions on traders who make use of market manipulation for any purpose.
1st offense: a fine of 25% of Portfolio Value and banned from trading for 15 days.
2nd offense: a fine of 50% of Portfolio Value and banned from trading for 30 days.
3rd offense: the confiscation of the Account Portfolio by the Hollywood Securities and Exchange Commission (HSEC).
The determinations of whether conduct constitutes manipulation will be at the sole discretion of HSX. All decisions are final.
This is a common abbreviation for "market capitalization". This is
the total number of Hollywood Dollars that traders
have invested in a particular MovieStock or
StarBond.
Need to know the big movers and losers on the Exchange? Here you will find the MovieStocks and StarBonds with the biggest gains or losses for the current trading day
When you submit an order to buy/sell/cover or
short a security, you are
placing a market order. A market order is executed at the current market
price of the security. When a trader places an
order, it is executed as a market order unless the trader specifies
otherwise (see: limit orders). A market order
may be executed at a slightly different price than was quoted at the
time the order was placed. This is due to supply and demand affecting
the price between the time the order was placed and when it was executed.
This is also known as "slippage."
The mini-broker is found on the left-hand side of the page on the
site. One of three types of brokers on the Exchange, the mini-broker
allows traders to make basic buy/sell trades.
The month-to-date percentile represents how much the total value of
a portfolio has risen or fallen since the first
of the month at midnight PDT.
Movers are the securities with the highest
and lowest price shifts on the Exchange. Many
traders use movers as indicators of things to
come, or jump on the bandwagon as day traders and enjoy the price shifting
for profit.
This is your chance to own a little piece of Hollywood. The Movie Market is the part of the
Hollywood Stock Exchange where you can trade
movies and stars, just as you would stocks and bonds. On the Movie Market,
the movies are MovieStocks, the stars are
StarBonds, and Hollywood
Dollars are your ticket to fame, fortune, and fun. You receive two
million Hollywood Dollars to start out with when you join
the Hollywood Stock Exchange, which you use to build up your portfolio.
The Movie Market also offers securities info, message boards, sweepstakes,
and enough movie news to satisfy Hollywood gossipmongers everywhere.
MovieStocks represent films traded on the
Movie Market. These can be films that are both in the process
of being made and that are currently in theaters. The price of a MovieStock reflects how
much money traders think the film will make
domestically in its first four weeks of
wide release at the box office. This gives you the chance
to play your predictions on new movies. For example, if a MovieStock is priced at H$80,
it means that traders expect the film to make $80 million in its first four weeks of wide
release. After opening weekend of wide release, a MovieStock will
Adjust in price to reflect the actual box-office gross versus what was
expected. MovieStocks come in five distinct stages: concept,
development, production,
wrap, and release. MovieStocks are
cashed out and removed from the Exchange.
If a film does not go wide, a MovieStock is priced at its first twelve weeks of limited release. If you own a MovieStock that
is worth H$80 at the time it cashes out, your portfolio will
be credited that same amount in cash.
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As listed on your portfolio page, the net
gain or loss column shows how much money you would stand to gain or lose
by liquidating that particular security at a
given time.
"NominOptions" are Hollywood Derivatives based on a special award event. These special securities take the form of options with their own specific rules.
given time.
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Options are Hollywood Derivatives, based around a specific event. For example, "call" and "put" options are released opening weekend of a particular MovieStock. Other special options are released around events, such as the Oscars® with NominOptions and AwardOptions.
"Order expiration" represents the time frame in which a "limit order" expires. When a limit order is made, the system treats your order as if it had executed immediately. If you have a limit sell order pending for a particular security, the system will not let you sell it until the limit order executes, is cancelled, or expires. The expiration date helps you to keep a limit order from executing at an inappropriate time. For example, if you want to sell a security if it goes above H$50 today, but not next week, you would set the order expiration for one day.
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Need to know where you rank amongst the top HSX traders? You can always check out your percentile and find out your ranking within the Exchange. The rank percentile shows roughly where your portfolio stands against other traders (someone with a 60-percent rank would be doing better than 60 percent of the traders). Percentiles are also shown in week/month/season/year-to-date standings.
There are five phases, or stages, in the life of a MovieStock: concept, development, production, wrap, and release.
Your portfolio is your calling card here at the Hollywood Stock Exchange. When you join HSX, you are given two million Hollywood Dollars for each market. Your portfolio is what you use to track your performance. It will keep track of what you own, what you paid for it, your net gain or loss, and more. As prices change all the time, be sure to check your portfolio as often as possible so you don't miss an opportunity to make some profit.
The total value of all the MovieStocks, StarBonds, and other securities, plus any Hollywood Dollars held in a portfolio.
Are you keeping up with the Joneses? Well, there is a way to find out. You can find out the rank of your portfolio, in terms of net value, within the entire trader community. This number is updated nightly.
HSX has set up position limits so that no particular trader can corner the market on any particular security. These are limits set to mimic the 13-d Rules of the real world stock markets which limit the amount an individual can own of a particular company. Simply put, there is a restriction on how many shares of a particular MovieStock, StarBond, or any other security so that there is no funny business going on.
This is the third phase in the life of a film. MovieStocks that fall into this category are currently being filmed and has an excellent chance of reaching a theater near you.
A put is a form of option that speculates a related movie will have a lower box-office take for its opening weekend than the strike price. A H$15 put for Jillian in June has a strike price of H$15, and will cash out at zero if the movie takes in more than $15 million during opening weekend. See: Option.
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The quick trader can be found hiding in convenient places to make a trade. Depending on the location, it will allow traders to buy or short in a variety of increments. The quick trader "zero" function will liquidate the associated securities whether they are held long or short.
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Reducing your holdings in a stock to one share. Typically used to monitor a stock's performance.
Trading can be fun, but so can a little healthy competition, right? Rank represents the placement of a trader in a larger group. In custom standings, the group consists of only league members. In public rankings, a player's rank is how their portfolio measures against all players.
Are you a market baron or are you a Hollywood Dollar away from jumping out of a window? You can determine your cash flow situation through your realized gain or loss. This is the amount you have either made or lost on a particular investment, also expressed as profit or loss. Selling a MovieStock, StarBond, or any other security for more or less than you originally invested in them will result in either a profit or a loss. HSX uses parentheses (rather than a negative or minus sign) to indicate a loss.
This is the all-important first step in becoming an HSX tycoon. Registering is the process of creating a free account with the Hollywood Stock Exchange. When you register for an account, you get two million Hollywood Dollars for each market. Once you join HSX, a password is sent to you via email that will allow you to access your portfolios. Registration is a private matter, and registration details are never released or sold. See: Privacy Policy.
This is the final phase in the life of a MovieStock. Movies in the release phase are currently in theaters. This is where traders put their money where their mouth is and find out what the buzz was about.
This is the big day for traders and movie buffs alike as they anxiously await with bated breath. The release date is when a movie first appears in theaters. If the film was a limited release that then expands into a wide release, the wide release date is listed. MovieStocks are cashed out four weeks after wide release or twelve weeks of limited release.
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This is a common abbreviation for the term "ticker symbol". Found on the mini-broker, this marks the box where you would enter the ticker symbol of a security you wish to trade.
The season-to-date percentile represents how much the portfolio has risen or fallen since the season's change at midnight PDT. The seasons change on the 15th of January, May, and September. The percentile is calculated by: (current net value)/(season net value)*100.
The word security is a general term used to describe any number of items that can be traded on the Hollywood Stock Exchange. Typically, it refers to MovieStock and StarBonds.
The total number of shares of a MovieStock or StarBond you own in your portfolio.
On the Hollywood Stock Exchange, almost anything goes, including using the failures of others to make a profit. If the next big blockbuster film looks to be an overhyped, overrated mess, you can still make a profit by shorting. Short selling allows you to profit when prices of MovieStock, StarBonds, and other securities go down. The simple rule behind short selling is that if you think a security is overvalued and the price is going to go down, you should sell the security "short." The value of a shorted security is the (Purchase Price x # of Shares) + Profit. The profit on a shorted security is (Purchase Price x # of Shares) - (Current Price x # of Shares). So total value is (purchase * shares) + [(purchase * shares)-(current * shares)].
A StarBond represents actors and directors that are traded on the Movie Market. The price of a StarBond reflects overall star power as determined by HSX traders, as well as how much money their films make at the box office as determined by their trailing average gross (TAG). Beginning with their second film, StarBond prices are adjusted to match the TAG when their credited MovieStocks cash out. If a celebrity should happen to meet the end of his/her career (death, retirement, etc.), the StarBond is cashed out at the TAG.
Status is everything in Hollywood, and that is no exception for HSX. The three status positions for a particular security are "Active," "Halted," and "Inactive." An active stock may be traded normally, a halted stock may not be traded, and an inactive stock has been cashed out.
This is a term that is sometimes used to generically describe securities, such as MovieStock.
The strike price is the real dollar amount (in millions) that a movie is estimated to make opening weekend. If the box-office take falls short of the strike, the put option will cash out with a profit, and the call will cash out at zero. If the box-office take is higher than the strike price, then the call will profit and the put will cash out at zero.
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See Trailing Average Gross
An important rule of thumb at the Hollywood Stock Exchange is that if you want to be a top trader, you have to be a well-informed trader. The first step to becoming an HSX guru is by keeping your eye on the ticker. The HSX ticker is a floating window that shows the trades made in the last two minutes. Updated regularly, it gives the ticker symbol of the trade, the number of shares traded and the price.
A ticker symbol is an abbreviation of the name of a security it represents. Usually, for StarBonds, the symbol is the stars first initial and the first part of their last name. MovieStocks symbols are crafted to represent the movie as mnemonically as possible, as are funds. Options' symbols are based on the movies the options cover and have a two-character code that represents the strike price.
Do you have some movie insights that you care to share or do you need some advise from someone with experience? Well, just hop onto Ticker Talk at the Hollywood Stock Exchange, the bulletin board where you can share your thoughts on movies, trading and more with other members of the HSX community. Ticker Talk offers you the chance to pick the brains of other traders, help out newbies (new traders), or just meet the competition.
The total value of a security as listed on the portfolio is what the trader would get in cash for selling this security. For shares that are held long, this number will be [current price] times [number of shares held]. For shares that were short sold, this number will be current value as listed in short selling.
What is the heart and soul of HSX? You are, of course! Without our loyal traders, where would we be? The term "trader" is commonly used to refer to users who frequent the Hollywood Stock Exchange.
Trading is the act of buying or selling a particular item on the Hollywood Stock Exchange. For example, if you are interested in buying Denise Richards because you think she will be the next big thing, you place a trade to buy her StarBond at a given price. However, if you hated Starship Troopers and you think she's overpriced, you can short her StarBond, effectively allowing you to profit if her price takes a plunge. The act of trading is completed when buyers and sellers are brought together in the marketplace.
This term represents a star's average total box-office performance over their last five credited films by release date. Each time a MovieStock featuring a particular star cashes out from the Movie Market, the box-office gross of the film (as reported to Exhibitor Relations Co.) is calculated into the star's TAG, and the bond price is adjusted to match. A maximum of five films are used in the TAG calculation divided by a minimum of three. The TAG is updated weekly with any additional box-office gross. A film's box-office gross in the TAG is capped at $250 million. StarBonds do not adjust in price for the first film in TAG, or for films which do not report box office to ERC.
StarBond TAG formula:
- Five films in TAG = Film1 + Film2 + Film3 + Film4 + Film5 / 5
- Four films in TAG = Film1 + Film2 + Film3 + Film4 / 4
- Three films in TAG = Film1 + Film2 + Film3 / 3
- Two films in TAG = Film1 + Film2 / 3
- One film in TAG = Film1 / 3
A little rivalry never hurt anyone. Keep track for your progress and compare it to other traders using the Trader Leagues. The leagues allow you to track your performance against other traders you know. By including them in your league, you'll be able to see how you rank on a daily basis.
This is the indication as to whether or not a trade has been successfully executed. A successful trade is not necessarily profitable, but it has been completed.
TVStocks are Hollywood Derivatives based on television-related properties. These options may take the form of warrants with their own specific rules.
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The amount of Hollywood Dollars that would be gained or lost if a trader sold a particular security at the current market price. This number is calculated by taking the proceeds of the sale minus the amount of money originally invested, minus the commission charge. HSX uses parentheses (rather than a negative or minus sign) to indicate a loss.
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The Virtual Specialist is the core technology of the Movie Market. It guarantees the execution of all trades and plays an integral part in regulating the overall economy on these exchanges.
The number of shares traded in a given time frame. Last volume, for example, shows the number of shares traded in the last trade.
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Warrants are the wildcard Hollywood Derivatives of the Exchange. These special options could be released around any event not already covered by other options. These stocks may be released with their own specific rules.
The week-to-date percentile represents how much the portfolio has risen or fallen since Sunday at midnight PDT. The percentile is calculated by: (current net value)/(Sunday net value)*100
A film that opens domestically in at least 650 theaters is considered a wide release. MovieStocks of wide release films cash out after four weeks at the box office. A film that opens on less than 650 screens is considered a limited release.
This is the fourth phase in the life of a MovieStock. Movies that have been "wrapped" have completed filming and post-production (effects, editing) is taking place. MovieStocks that are wrapped for three years without a release date will cash out at H$0.
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The year-to-date percentile represents how much the portfolio has risen or fallen since Jan. 15 at midnight PDT. The percentile is calculated by: (current net value)/(year net value)*100.
The last price at which a security traded as of midnight (PDT) the previous day.
This represents the total number of shares that were bought and sold yesterday.
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