The term blockbuster has been steeped in mystery. The original, it is believed, to be a military bomb that was able to destroy an entire city block that the WWII newspapers called. However, the term blockbuster then entered the film industry sometime in the fifties. It is often used to indicate a hot-selling book or high grossing films.
The “first” blockbuster film considered to be Jaws (1975) even though Gone with the Wind (1939) easily passed Jaws in ticket sales alone. Regardless, the 1970s brought on what is known as the Blockbuster Era of film. During the 70s, many what we consider classics and the best blockbusters were introduced; Star Wars (1977), Superman (1978), and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). Many considered the highest-grossest films and the high budget films to be blockbusters; however, there have been a number of low-budget blockbusters, including Blair Witch Project (1999). Though blockbusters did help shape many American classics, they helped pave the way to directing and creating more blockbuster films from the early 90s to the 2010s.
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Most of the blockbusters for recent years have been directed and/or created by a culmination of writers, directing students, and the experienced blockbuster directors like Steven Spielberg. Many attribute the correct balance of drama, comedy, plot thickness, and suspense to making a blockbuster film for today. Ironically, some of today’s blockbusters are action packed with a touch of drama and comedy. This change in the production of a blockbuster shifts with time and the changes in audience. Due to the change in audience, even the marketing of a blockbuster film has changed to reel in not only the old movie-goers and the younger generations.
Blockbusters in other countries learned what their audiences wanted. For example, in India, the 1975 film of Sholay has an American-feel to the whole film. The content and plot resembles an American gangster film and the film itself was a huge success. Rated the number one film in Bollywood history, Sholay helped modern Indian film. Another country’s blockbuster is the popular Enter the Dragon (1975). Though American directed, Enter the Dragon was a huge success with Hong Kong’s audiences. Thanks to the martial arts used in the film, this film later set the precedence for later films in Hong Kong, China, and even Japan. Most of Chinese films are either related to martial arts or their old plays written by notable Chinese writers. Japan’s filming scene was heavily influenced by Chinese and American film directors. This connection helped bridge the Pacific together. While many of Japan’s films were action packed, their plot lines and their material usually involves the thousand year history that the country holds. Thanks to these films, modern filmmakers in Japan learn from those masters and learned how to make blockbuster films by listening to their teachers and their audiences.
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This increase in the production of films and blockbuster hits helped stimulate economy around the world. With the current movie of Avatar (2010) topping the highest grossing film in 2010, one can only imagine what films await us in the future.
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