A prestige picture is a film produced to bolster the film studio's perceived artistic integrity, rather than to turn a large profit; the studio may even expect the film to lose money. History Prestige pictures are largely the province of major Hollywood film studios—such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros.—that produce numerous films every year. In the 1930s, such studios might release one prestige picture per year. The films' screenwriters drew material from historical events, well-known literary classics, or popular novels or plays. In many cases, Hollywood film studios have enlisted British actors and directors for the production of prestige films. One producer of prestige pictures within the United Kingdom's own film industry was Alexander Korda (1893–1956). The popularity of these types of films would face a major downfall in late 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which audience behavior towards these types of films was altered into viewing them as Oscar bait, resulting in moviegoers refusing to see them in theaters during the Fall and Winter of that year, decreasing the films' chances at awards consideration. See also Art film Cinema of the United Kingdom Cinema of the United States Film criticism Quality television New Hollywood Indiewood References Further reading Film and video terminology