tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38454049.post3090928736012088934..comments2024-03-08T23:26:03.133-07:00Comments on Apocalypse Later Film Reviews: Gold (1968)Hal C. F. Astellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16807389103456317098noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38454049.post-35083745143094474062010-12-11T14:32:46.189-07:002010-12-11T14:32:46.189-07:00Good point. I should have added 'summer' t...Good point. I should have added 'summer' to be clear but Jaws is generally seen as the birth of the modern blockbuster for a number of reasons:<br /><br />1. Jaws was more successful, being the first film to gross over the magic $100m on initial theatrical release, though The Exorcist was highly successful and set the $89m record that it broke. To be fair, this include reissues, earning $66m on the first. Jaws is also seen as ending a five year drought in studio earnings.<br /><br />2. Jaws was a summer movie, opening on 25 Jun, while The Exorcist was released on 26 Dec. It was the first huge summer blockbuster and set a trend that continued with The Omen in 1976 and Star Wars in 1977, by which time the studios understood their new business model. Summer in cinema used to be like summer on TV, time to bury stuff while waiting for the cool stuff later in the year. That changed with Jaws.<br /><br />3. Jaws was given a wide release, opening across the country simultaneously on record numbers of screens. It was also heavily marketed on TV. Both are routine today but innovative at the time. TV was mostly ignored and even big films like The Exorcist were released in a small number of theatres (The Godfather started in five) and grown over markets, building with word of mouth and reviews.Hal C. F. Astellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16807389103456317098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38454049.post-83104844123191858212010-11-29T16:56:49.963-07:002010-11-29T16:56:49.963-07:00Hal, just a point of trivia, but didn`t "The ...Hal, just a point of trivia, but didn`t "The Exorcist" give birth to the blockbuster in very late `73 a full 18 months before "Jaws".jervaise brooke hamsternoreply@blogger.com