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The Movies

2005 Lionhead Studios Business simulation Updated 25 Jul 2026

The Movies is a 2005 business simulation developed by Lionhead Studios under Peter Molyneux, blending studio management with creative filmmaking. Players run a Hollywood movie studio from the silent era of the 1920s through to the future, building sets, hiring stars, and producing films across changing eras.

The game combined tycoon-style management, such as constructing sound stages and back-lot buildings, nurturing temperamental actors whose fame and vices had to be managed, and researching new technologies like sound and colour, with a surprisingly deep filmmaking tool. That tool let players choose scenes, sets, costumes, and dialogue to script, shoot, and edit their own short films, which many players exported and shared online, helping fuel an early machinima community.

The Movies stood out for merging business simulation with genuine creative expression, an unusual combination for its time. It remains available on digital storefronts and is fondly remembered for empowering players to become virtual directors.

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Modern alternatives to The Movies, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.

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Modern alternatives to The Movies compared: price, Steam Deck rating and the devices each one runs on.
Alternative	Price	Steam Deck	Runs on
Game Dev Tycoon Indie	€ 7,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC, Mac, Linux
Hollywood Animal Indie	€ 34,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC
Two Point Hospital	€ 34,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC, Mac