The Blockbuster Mentality

In the beginning of this chapter, we noted Hollywood’s shift toward a blockbuster mentality after the success of films like Star Wars. How pervasive is this blockbuster mentality, which targets an audience of young adults, releases action-packed big-budget films featuring heavy merchandising tie-ins, and produces sequels?

1 DESCRIPTION. Consider a list of the Top 25 all-time highest-grossing movies in the United States, such as the one on Box Office Guru, http://boxofficeguru.com/blockbusters.htm

2 ANALYSIS. Note patterns in the list. For example, of these twenty-five top-grossing films, twenty-four target young audiences (The Passion of the Christ is the only exception). Nearly all of these top-grossing films feature animated or digitally composited characters (e.g., The Lion King; Shrek; Jurassic Park) or extensive special effects (Transformers; The Avengers). Nearly all of the films also either spawned or are a part of a series, like The Lord of the Rings, Transformers, The Dark Knight, and Harry Potter. More than half of the films fit into the action movie genre. Nearly all of the Top 25 had intense merchandising campaigns that featured action figures, fast-food tie-ins, and an incredible variety of products for sale; that is, nearly all weren’t “surprise” hits.

3 INTERPRETATION. What do the patterns mean? It’s clear, economically, why Hollywood likes to have successful blockbuster movie franchises. But what kinds of films get left out of the mix? Hits like Forrest Gump (now bumped out of the Top 25), which may have had big-budget releases but lack some of the other attributes of blockbusters, are clearly anomalies of the blockbuster mentality, although they illustrate that strong characters and compelling stories can carry a film to great commercial success.

4 EVALUATION. It is likely that we will continue to see an increase in youth-oriented, animated/action movie franchises that are heavily merchandised and intended for wide international distribution. Indeed, Hollywood does not have a lot of motivation to put out other kinds of movies that don’t fit these categories. Is this a good thing? Can you think of a film that you thought was excellent and that would have likely been a bigger hit with better promotion and wider distribution?

5 ENGAGEMENT. Watch independent and foreign films and see what you’re missing. Visit foreignfilms.com, the independent film section at imdb.com, or the Sundance Film Festival site and browse through the many films listed. Find these films on Netflix, Amazon, Google, or iTunes (and let them know if they don’t list them). Write your cable company and request to have the Sundance Channel and the Independent Film Channel on your cable lineup. Organize an independent film night on your college campus and bring these films to a crowd.