Blockbuster motion picture is a term used by the motion picture industry to describe any movie that has achieved $100 million in ticket sales.
As production costs and ticket sale revenues skyrocketed during the 1990s, however, the $100 million plateau lost much of its significance. Titanic, for instance, cost $200 million to produce; ticket sales of $100 million would have resulted in a $100 million shortfall, a financial disaster even though it would have technically been a "blockbuster" by this standard. Also in the 1990s, it became common for 15 to 20 films to reach the $100 million plateau in a year, removing the elusive status of being signified a "blockbuster". It has thus become more common to use the $200 million level as a realistic plateau in determining widespread box office success.
The term is used more commonly by the general public and mass media to describe any big-budget or highly anticipated film.
One theory of cultural historians has been that the biggest box office successes of a given year reflect thematic resonance with the Zeitgeist of the time. However, they believe that it is impossible to really see what elements of the film resonated with people without some historical distance.
History
The term was borrowed from the World War II-era bomb of the same name that flattened entire neighborhoods. The analogy is that when a blockbuster motion picture is released, competing film ticket sales are flattened by public indifference.
Blockbusters aside though, there are many thousands of films produced each year worldwide which do well, make money, and create income opportunities for composers and songwriters, both in the initial year of release and for many years afterward.
Most successful motionpictures use hit songs to create a period flavor, establish a mood, give an actor a chance to sing, make people laugh, make people cry, elicit emotions, and create interest in the movie through successful soundtrack albums and hit singles.
Because the songs used over the opening credits of a motionpicture many times reflect the theme or ambiance of the film, they are many times more important to the film than other songs used for background.
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