A Brief History of the Blockbuster
There’s something special about seeing a movie during the summer. The weather is (usually) perfect and the new releases are always big and hot. Whether you’re escaping the heat in a cool theater or getting cozy in the backseat at the drive-in, it’s hard to imagine a time when movies weren’t a classic summertime staple.
What is a Blockbuster?
When we hear the word “blockbuster,” we usually think of those large budget Hollywood movies. Some may also think of the once popular video store where many of us could be found every Friday night. However, blockbusters weren't always associated with the movies. During World War II, it was the name of the large bombs that were used by the British Air Force. These bombs were so powerful that they could destroy entire city blocks. It was in 1943 when a movie was first referred to as a blockbuster. It was a war film titled Bombadier, which followed the training of military bomber pilots. By the 1950’s, film studios began widely using the term to refer to popular movies with high box office sales.
Summertime Blues
In the early days of cinema, film studios found it challenging to get an audience for summer screenings. Not only were cinemas incredibly hot, they would usually screen older films during this time as well. Even after cinemas began installing air conditioning, it seemed that families would rather use the warmer months for traveling and other activities that helped them beat the heat. It was because of this that studios refused to release any film they believed had the potential to be a success during the summer. The world would have to wait for a studio to take a leap of faith for things to change.
Shark Infested Cinemas in Space
In 1975, Universal Pictures released Steven Spielberg’s film Jaws on June 20th. Their risk resulted in a significant reward as countless theaters had lines of people stretching down the block. Although this film had many people swearing off swimming in the ocean, Jaws had earned $7 million during opening weekend. It also went on to become the first film to gross over $100 million domestically. And thus, Jaws became the first summer blockbuster. Shortly after its release, another studio took the leap and released their film in May of 1977. Star Wars exploded well past Jaws. With a limited release across 43 cinemas, Star Wars earned well over $1 million during opening weekend alone. The wider release turned into a theatrical run that lasted for over a year. It certainly was no moon because this space station went on to earn a domestic gross of over $460 million. Steven Spielberg wrote a letter to George Lucas congratulating him on his “hyperspace” success. The letter featured an illustration of R2-D2 reeling in Bruce the shark on his fishing pole.
The Future is Now
As we approached the 21st century, blockbuster films became bigger and more plentiful. Because of the success of Star Wars and Jaws, studios became more comfortable with releasing blockbuster films in the summer. During the remainder of the 20th century, we saw the rise of Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and Alien. With technology advancing quickly in the early 2000’s sci-fi and fantasy films became the new trend. From Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean and The Chronicles of Narnia to the fan favorites of The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, what once was a slow and dismal time for the cinema has progressed into a hit season. It truly is hard to imagine a summer without those highly anticipated films. With the film industry constantly evolving, it’ll be interesting to see how our classic summer blockbusters will change along with it.