Blockbusters: High
budget films whose narrative can be summarized in “25 words or less”
featuring characters played by “A-list” stars and high production
values. Such films are often adaptations of “pre-sold properties”
such as novels, plays, television shows, comic books, amusement park rides, etc.
Blockbusters are designed and marketed so as to make as much profit as possible
as quickly as possible. Recently, writers for Variety have started referring to
blockbusters as “tentpoles,” conjuring up the image of a single film
profitable enough to support a whole studio.