The term began to appear in the American press in the early 1940s, referring to aerial bombs capable of destroying a whole block of buildings. Its first known use in reference to films was in May 1943, when advertisements in See more

Golden Age era
The term fell out of usage in the aftermath of World War II but was revived in 1948 by Variety in an article about big budget films. By the early 1950s the term had become standardised within the film industry and the trade press to … See more

• AAA (video game industry), equivalent term in the videogame industry
• Box office
• Box-office bomb
• Classical Hollywood cinema See more

Eventually, the focus on creating blockbusters grew so intense that a backlash occurred, with some critics and film-makers decrying the prevalence of a "blockbuster mentality", lamenting the death of the author-driven, "more artistic" small-scale films of … See more

• All Time Box Office Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo See more