blockbuster movie 23 by Articles Uncovered
Published Date: 11/11/06
Blockbuster Movie
The blockbuster movie is what keeps the major studios going. Big budget entertainment for the masses is their lifeblood. The multi screen cinema complexes also need them. It's what keeps the popcorn popping.
Big budget means high risk and a blockbuster movie box office failure could even bring a studio to it's knees. Failures are pretty rare though, as studios and directors have a good grasp of what the audiences want. The consensus is that if $200 million worth of tickets are sold in the US, then you can define a film as a blockbuster movie.
A blockbuster movie has other connotations apart from box office receipts. You know instinctively what makes a blockbuster. Jaws is a blockbuster, a black and white, subtitled Polish movie is not. The 1970's were the decade, which ushered in the age of the blockbuster movie. Big ideas and big special effects in Jaws and Star Wars set the standard.
Some people are snobbish about the blockbuster movie, looking down their nose at anything so popular, and only frequenting independent art houses that show independent films. A blockbuster movie doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It doesn't mean it's Shakespeare either. A blockbuster movie does appeal to the lowest common denominator and does tend to be formulaic. It would be nice for the money to be spread around a bit more, so it's not such a struggle for independent directors to get funding. The major studios aim for the fifteen to twenty five year old young men. If they flock to see the film, they've got a hit. Throw in a tragic love story, as in Titanic, and the young ladies are happy as well.
It's the blockbuster movie that audiences want to see in the cinemas. King Kong isn't the same on a TV screen. They also want to be the first in their circle to see the latest offering. They'll queue for miles for the privilege.
Sometimes the blockbuster movie tries to combine special effects with art. The Matrix trilogy was one such attempt, combining action scenes with a thoughtful sub text. The audience was divided into those who bought into the philosophical aspect and others who thought it was pretentious rubbish.
The blockbuster movie is here to stay. The Hollywood machine is a success story around the world, especially in the UK and Japan. The spin off merchandise is a huge market in itself. There's a whole industry in selling action figures, lunch boxes and posters. Every blockbuster has its computer game version and its CD soundtrack. So some of us may boast, (ok, me that is), how much we enjoyed that Ingmar Bergman film festival, and then secretly slid into the local multiplex to see The Da Vinci Code.
Did I cry at the end of Titanic? Of course I did. Go on. Admit it. So did you.
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