The definition of blockbuster is a thing of great power or size, in particular a film, book, or other product that is a great commercial success.

To me a blockbuster is a big movie that creates a massive hype from how big the budget is and how many famous actors appear in the film. Also the term for blockbuster is that it began to appear in the American press in the early 1940s referring to bombs destroying a whole block of streets. The term began to be used to refer to successful theatre plays, hit movies, best selling novels, and computer games. In 1975 the usage of “blockbuster” was used for films like Steven Spielbergs film ‘Jaws’. Films like this became perceived as something new like ‘a cultural phenomenon’. Normally if a film has a high budget then the film will be good and become a blockbuster. However if a film is made on a low budget and is particularly successful then that film is a blockbuster as well. You would think the main reason for films to be associated with the term ‘blockbuster’ would be mainly because of the big budget. But if the film is a huge success and becomes famous then it would be referred as a blockbuster. Say if a cult film created a massive hype and was really successful then it would also be referred to as a blockbuster.

I don’t believe that the term ‘blockbuster’ has changed through time because when someone thinks of a blockbuster film they think of films with famous actors in or with a really high budget that was a big success. A blockbuster has always been associated with the same concepts and hasn’t really changed. If it has changed at all, it will be due to the special affects being used more or the length of the films being longer. An example of a blockbuster remake is Ghost busters. Now the remake was absolutely terrible but it’s still classed as a blockbuster. It’s classed as a blockbuster because of the budget and how there’s a lot of famous actors aspects to it. And lots of special affects was used during the entire film. Company’s might want to remake films because if they were a blockbuster then, that might make them believe that it’ll turn into an even bigger blockbuster. Also this time around the company might have a bigger budget.

I believe the association with the term ‘blockbuster’ takes a huge part in Hollywood. All the big hit movies are produced or created in Hollywood, its the main place to go. For example after Jaws was a huge success many Hollywood producers tried to create similar films because of how big it was and still is. Film companies then began to rely on films having a large budget to be able to call them blockbusters because they found the bigger the budget the bigger the success. After a period of time the term for blockbuster began to be known as a high-budget production aimed at mass markets. It’s place in Hollywood was known for the money. It was defined by its production budget and marketing effort rather than its success and popularity. Hollywood seemed to end relying on the use of blockbusters as it created all the big income for them and they didn’t want it to stop.

I have chosen two films to compare the ways in how different an independent film is to a blockbuster film. For the independent film I have chosen the ‘The Witch’ what came out in 2016. The Witch is set in the 1630s about a family torn apart due to black magic. It’s a brilliant twisted film that leaves you asking many questions but in my opinion is up to the standards of a blockbuster film. You can tell it’s an independent film from watching the trailer because if you pay attention you see that it’s set in the woods in one area, which means it wouldn’t have cost a thing really because it’s not like you’re renting a building out. Also the film didn’t consist of a lot of special affects, so again it wouldn’t have cost them a lot. The budget for The Witch was 3 million USA dollars.The Witch actually grossed $25.1 million in North America and $15.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $40.4 million. To say it was an independent film it really brought back the money and felt like a blockbuster film. The film has a rating of 91%, based on 259 reviews, with a rating of 7.8/10.

For the blockbuster film I chose ‘The Craft’ which was made in 1996. Already I know The Craft is a classic blockbuster film because it was created by Columbia Pictures which is a big selling company that creates big shot films. The Craft was a huge hit and still is now, the hype still hasn’t died down. You can tell by watching the trailer it’s a blockbuster film because the film is set in various locations meaning they would have had to pay a lot to rent out the buildings. Also in the film quite a bit of special affects is used so then again quite a bit of money will have been spent on that. Also famous actors are starred in The Craft meaning again a lot of money will have been put into this. The budget for The Craft was 15 million USA dollars. The film opened at number 1 at the North American box office, making 6,710,995. The movie was a sleeper hit, which Columbia attributed to teenagers and young women, who responded to its themes. According to Box office mojo, The Craft is the 10th highest grossing film since 1980 dealing with the genre of witches.