#NewsBytesExplainer: What does blockbuster really mean—significance, prominent examples
Once a film releases and undergoes the litmus test at the box office, different words and terms start floating around in media and trade circles. Hit, semi-hit, above average, clean hit, flop, disaster, and the most coveted and prestigious of them all—blockbuster—which signifies that the film has been a money-spinner. But what does the word exactly mean, and what are some blockbuster movies?
Term was reportedly first used in 1943
To put it simply, a blockbuster film is one that is massively successful commercially and puts a stupendous number on the scoreboard, even after months of its release. Even if the critical reception isn't warm, that doesn't stop these larger-than-life movies from packing a punch. The term's first reported usage was possibly for the film Bombardier, a 1943 American war film.
What are common traits of blockbusters?
Though it is tough to trace any specific criteria that can catapult a movie to blockbuster status, there are some common threads. Such films are usually fast-paced, feature larger-than-life heroes, have a conflict and an eventual resolution as their central axis, are mounted on a large scale and budget, are led by A-list actors, and (in terms of Indian films) have a chartbuster soundtrack.
Examples of some blockbuster Hollywood projects
The most well-known examples of pathbreaking Hollywood blockbusters are the Avatar films, Titanic, Top Gun franchise, Marvel movies, Jaws, Alien, Aliens, and Indiana Jones films. They also include Batman, Die Hard, Back to the Future trilogy, The Hunt for Red October, Mission Impossible movies, Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, Man of Steel, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, among many others.
Which is your favorite Indian blockbuster film?
Some of the most monumental films in Indian cinema that floored audiences in our country and across the world and attained the blockbuster tag include RRR, Dangal, the Baahubali series, Dilwale Dulhani Le Jayenge, Sholay, Mother India, Drishyam 2, the KGF franchise, Kantara, Secret Superstar, Sultan, Padmavaat, 3 Idiots, and Sanju, among numerous others. Notably, Pathaan is the most recent addition to this list.
