four-quadrant film
n.— «But the bigger a film budget becomes, the more it’s thought necessary to attract EVERYONE to see it in order to pay off that budget (making it a “four-quadrant” film, in current parlance). So the more expensive the film, the more it will be driven by male characters.» —“Insight From Inside” by Brian Nelson Peter Sagal: Blog Apr. 3, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
This entry doesn’t give much of a definition. Here’s one:
“Just what does “four-quadrant” mean? It’s a movie that appeals to all four main demographic groups—young and old, male and female.”
from http://coverageink.blogspot.com/2006/09/meet-four-quadrants.html