Why are hit films called ‘blockbuster’, how was this word formed? Hardly anyone will know the answer
Written by Sneh Chaudhry on February 23, 2024
From ‘Sholay’ to ‘Pathan’, from ‘Aradhana’ to ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, many such films have been made in India which became such big hits that they are kept in the category of blockbuster films.
These films entertained the audience a lot, and because of them a trend started in society and they also earned a lot of money. But apart from films, have you ever wondered why films are called ‘Blockbusters’ (Why Hit Movies Called Blockbusters), how this word was formed? We claim that hardly anyone will know the answer to this. If you know, then you are definitely very fond of films, but if not, then today we are going to tell you.
According to the report of Time Magazine, today the word ‘Blockbuster’ may be associated with films, but in olden times, this word was associated with war. The roots of this word are connected to the era of 1940 when the Second World War was going on. This word first appeared in front of people in an article in Time magazine dated 29 November 1942. This article was about the attacks carried out by Allied forces on major industrial areas of Italy.
The bomb was called the blockbuster
The bomb that was being used for this mission came to be called ‘Blockbuster’. This is because these bombs were so powerful that they were capable of blowing up a city block. The bombs started being dropped regularly by the British and this nickname of the bombs started becoming popular. Since then, this name spread in America and it started being used for any kind of shocking and explosive thing or event.
This change was visible in Time magazine too, because the magazine used to address shocking news like a blockbuster.
The word blockbuster was first used for this film
Time magazine first used the word blockbuster on May 9, 1943, not for a bomb but for a film. These words were not used on the film’s earnings or box-office reviews but on the story of the film. This film was ‘Mission to Moscow’, Which was based on the book by a person named Joseph Davis, who was posted as America’s High Commissioner to the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938.
Within a short time, different newspapers and magazines started using this word in their articles.
