It’s summer, so in the world of film, you know that it’s blockbuster season. From the latest superhero flicks to franchise staples like Pirates of the Caribbean and Guardians of the Galaxy, cineplexes fill up with audiences looking to escape the heat and spend hundreds of million of dollars to see the big stars on the screen.
Yet, have you ever wondered what the word “blockbuster” actually means? It seems already a relic of a bygone era of videocassette rentals, but even so, where did it begin before Blockbuster Video?
Let’s dive into the rich and surprising history of the term and how it’s come to describe your latest cinema obsessions.
The Explosive Military Beginnings
In 1942, the world was at war. The devastation sweeping across Europe was at the forefront of everyone’s attention and all over the headlines. On July 27th, in an article from the Bellingham Herald, a headline read “Those ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bombs Are Called ‘Block Busters’ By Germans,” gave the world the first mention of the term — albeit with a much different meaning.
“Block Busters” were an explosive invention of the British Royal Air Force used describe a bomb weighing about two tons and possessing “very great destructive power.” The term would grow to be a catch-all for bombastic battles before branching out into other literal and metaphorical uses — as well as continue on past wartime as a significance-inducing spectacle.
Jaws and the Birth of the Modern Summer Blockbuster
As time wore on, the term found a home describing big budget (usually summer) movies. The most notable example was the widespread success of Jaws in 1975. The Steven Spielberg classic, which would go on to exceed $100,000,000 in ticket sales (a number which would closely tie itself with the term), birthed the Hollywood obsession with “event films” with high commercial appeal and huge marketing pushes to achieve high blockbuster-ability.
Whether they were hits or flops, blockbuster features became a staple of American summer cinema lineups as the term would become synonymous with big budgets, mass markets, associated merchandising, and boom-or-bust fortunes for studios.
The Rise of Blockbuster Videocasettes
The term would continue to grow into the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of videocassettes and a shift in the industry from cinemas to living rooms. Perhaps the most apropos example of the shift comes from the dynamic rise (and eventual fall) of one of the most recognizable brands in America — Blockbuster Video.
New revenue streams, longer shelf lives, and a greater demand for big stars and special effects fueled another Hollywood renaissance for big-budget blockbuster hits to keep the shelves stacked with VHS (and later, DVDs).
The Dawning Digitalization Revolution
Now, with the rise of Video on Demand (VOD) and video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu joining the conversation, the term is once again in flux. Recent films, which could very well be dubbed “blockbuster” events based on budget, star power, marketing, and widespread appeal, like the recent Netflix release Okja, point to a future where cinemas are cut out of the equation completely.
While on one hand, box office numbers are breaking records and are higher than they’ve ever been, a new medium is growing at a rate that may threaten how we consume, view, and refer to the industry.
Top image by Everett Collection.