Event film
An event film or event movie is a blockbuster film whose release itself is considered a major event.
Criteria
It could be a highly anticipated sequel or a big budget film with state-of-the-art special effects or major stars generating considerable attention.[1] Although it is subjective what is and what isn't considered an event movie, they are usually among the highest-grossing movies in their years of release and become a part of popular culture.
Examples
Steven Spielberg's Jaws from 1975 is the first film that was considered an event movie at the time of its release,[2] but some sources also retroactively apply the term to earlier films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone with the Wind (1939), and Ben-Hur (1959). Examples more recent than Jaws include Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993), James Cameron's Titanic (1997), Spider-Man (2002) and Avatar (2009) alongside the Star Wars (1977-present), Harry Potter (2001-2011), and Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) films and The Dark Knight (2008). In the 2010s, other event movies include The Hunger Games (2012), Frozen (2013), Deadpool (2016),[3] and many films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in particular Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The last huge event film was Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). [4][5]
See also
- Event television
- Four-quadrant movie
- List of highest-grossing films
- Media franchise
- National Film Registry
- Tent-pole (entertainment)
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ 'Jaws,' The First 'Event Movie,' Turns 35
- ^ Why event movies are overtaking A-list stars from USA Today
- ^ How COVID-19 will change Hollywood and event movies|EW.com
- ^ Has Hollywood killed the event movie? - Little White Lies
Further reading
- Jöckel, Sven; Döbler, Thomas (2006). "The Event Movie: Marketing Filmed Entertainment forTransnational Media Corporations" (PDF). The International Journal on Media Management. 8 (2). Routledge: 84–91. doi:10.1207/s14241250ijmm0802_4. S2CID 143426106. Retrieved 28 May 2019.