Blockbuster: what is it? What criteria must it meet?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Blockbuster is an entertainment product that generates interest and at the same time brings significant profit to the film owners. Significant profit is usually understood as an income of at least 100,000,000.00 $, the condition of which is to receive benefits in a relatively short period of time, for example, in a few months. In addition, income must be generated in the North American market.

Initially, the meaning of the word "blockbuster" was associated with the financial and economic activities of the play, but today a blockbuster is called a movie that satisfies the interests of the audience. In addition, it more than replenishes the budget of the creators. Sometimes these definitions are attributed to any successful film, but it should be understood that a successful product is understood as a blockbuster. What does this mean for filmmakers? One of the essential factors for any blockbuster is a considerable profit, which will not only pay off the direct production of the film, but will also go to pay and bonuses to everyone who took part in the developmentproduct.

The success of the first blockbusters haunted Hollywood directors

Jaws set box office records in the summer of 1975. In addition to this film, blockbusters include films such as The Ten Commandments, Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur. They received their status solely due to the amount of money earned at the box office. Jaws is regarded as the first film of the Hollywood blockbuster era in the modern sense of the word.

If a movie is constantly rebroadcast after it's been successfully shown in theaters, it's a blockbuster. What does this mean? This is the second, no less important feature of the term - the constant interest in the film, which is manifested in the number of Internet downloads and video sales. Thus, the income continues to flow even after the end of the screening in the cinema.

Following the success of Jaws, many Hollywood producers tried to create similar "event movies" with a broad commercial strategy. Movie companies were making high-budget films backed by a massive advertising campaign.

Classics and contemporaries

Recently, almost any blockbuster often generates a strong reaction from film critics. The meaning of the word "blockbuster" today is reaching a new level - every sensational film must be reviewed by a well-known critic. The review may be commendable or condemnatory, but in all cases it provokes a public reaction. Often this reviewan aura of mystery or, conversely, shocking facts surrounds the blockbuster. What does this mean for the film itself? The fact is that, despite the fact that the public agreed with the film critic's decision or not, in any case, this is additional advertising and PR for the film, followed by additional benefits for the film's publishers. Even those blockbusters that received the most tepid reviews from critics are received with enthusiasm by the public.

Terms for theater and cinema

Theatrical circles also use the word "blockbuster". What does this mean? This indicates that the game exhibits some traits of successful films, such as generating high attendance at performances, keeping the public interested in the long run.

A classic blockbuster is a movie that doesn't fade with time and is confirmed by the next generation through regular screenings. In any definition of the term, a blockbuster should be seen as a competitive, public interest product compared to similar productions.