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COMM 1500
Mitch Sears
Connor Philpot

The 5-Step Critical Process: The Blockbuster Mentality

Some of the highest grossing films of all time include things like Star Wars, The

Avengers, and Avatar. These films are considered to be the highest grossing for a couple of

reasons. They appeal to a wide demographic, as well as cases like The Avengers having pop

cultural significance. For movies like Avatar, a lot of the total grossing of that film came from

foreign box offices. A lot of the movies featured here are leaning to Science Fiction or the Action

movie category. The only movie that stands out form this norm is the film Titanic, which is more

of a romance story. The reason that movie did so well was the cultural significance and

marketing that it had at the time of its release. These are all top movies featured on the provided

website Box Office Mojo. This list of course doesn’t count for movies with their box office

earnings adjusted for inflation however. I don’t think that will contribute much to the overall

main prompt anyway. I think with this insight we can determine why these movies are so popular

and why Hollywood gets the blockbuster mentality.

All of these movies fit into the stereotype of Action movie blockbusters with a lot of

marketing. (Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication) Marketing being the

key word. Even though Marketing gets thrown around a lot as a dirty word, it goes a long way in

a lot of forms. A lot of these films are also connected to long running series that are staples of

pop culture, which also ties into marketing in a way. If a movie wants to become successful it

has to appeal to a wide as an audience as possible. Films like the ones from Marvel have cracked
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the code on how to make a successful blockbuster movie in this day and age. For better or for

worse. These movies have mass appeal and marketing on there side, and that allows them to

reach that wide audience so they can be as successful as they are. All of these movies are linked

through their power in Marketing, and it allows them to reach that “Blockbuster” status. Why is

it that these films reach that status however?

Marketing and a budget aren’t the only requirements to making a blockbuster film.

(Evers Kevin, Hollywood’s Obsession with Blockbusters, Harvard Business Reviews) There are

plenty of movies, even superhero ones that don’t reach the status of something like The

Avengers. I think Marvel is a good starting point as to how these movies get such success. These

movies are comfortable and consistent. People know that if you go into these films you are

guaranteed to be entertained. An example is something like Guardians of the Galaxy. The retro

culture and adult jokes draw in parents, the action and overall cinematic universe engagement

bring in the young adults and teens, and the toy sales and marketing bring in the kids. The

Marvel formula allows for it to rake in the widest audience possible. This comes with 2 problems

however. Every other company tries to copy that blockbuster formula, which leads to the overall

problem. These movies getting repetitive and stale. If Marvel keeps repeating this same formula,

as well as other companies trying to copy it. It’s going to lead to burnout. These movies need to

shake things up in order to keep people invested. That’s the main issue with Blockbuster films,

creative depth and trying different things.

There are a lot of movies that I consider to be leagues and bounds beyond the typical

blockbuster to be better movies. That’s not to say that these movies aren’t good, they have their

enjoyment and are in some ways special. However, movies need to have room for creativity and

not just enjoyment. The mainstream audience is important, but film is an art form not just
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entertainment. A lot films get recognition and attention, but they don’t make as much as

something like a Marvel movie. These movies are sometimes even better in my opinion, but

they’re not going to get that same level of success because they are too niche. That’s just how the

movie industry works. However, that doesn’t mean that blockbusters as a format won’t change.

Looking at movies like Joker, which is more art house film then blockbuster. That movie had

mainstream success, and made a lot of money. Or Parasite, a foreign film winning the Oscar for

best picture. Both of these show that there can be change in the general audience to appreciate

movies that aren’t just blockbusters. They may not be Marvel, but they are changing the status

quo in their own way.

A popular place for movies that go against such a status quo, is the Sundance Film

Festival. (Burns Sean, How Sundance And Its Attendees Are Getting More Diverse, wbur) One of

my favorite movies from Sundance as well as in general, is the film Me and Earl and the Dying

Girl. This movie was one of the first movies that really made me feel a raw type of emotion.

There are no monsters, connected films, or even that high of a budget. It’s a slow paced, original,

and socially awkward story of the main character and his friends. Even with other movies like

it’s type like The Fault in our Stars, it doesn’t fall into the same trope of cliché romance with a

sad violin soundtrack. This movie made me feel things I didn’t even know I could feel. That’s

what I look for out of a movie. Not just as a means of entertainment, but what does the film do to

make me feel things. Movies are art, and art doesn’t have to be restricted from the mainstream.

These kinds of movies are often written off as to niche, or too weird for everyone to enjoy.

However, I truly believer these kinds of movies can be enjoyed by everyone. They just need to

be marketed with the same level and care as the average blockbuster. Maybe marketing isn’t the
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key, but I know these movies can do well. They do things that blockbusters can’t, and I want that

to be appreciated. That’s why I feel the blockbuster mentality needs to be changed.

Works Cited:

(Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication)

(Evers Kevin, Hollywood’s Obsession with Blockbusters, Harvard Business Reviews)

https://hbr.org/2013/06/hollywoods-obsession-with-blockbusters

(Burns Sean, How Sundance And Its Attendees Are Getting More Diverse, wbur)

https://www.wbur.org/artery/2019/02/01/sundance-film-festival-diversity-critics