What is it about?
This article analyses the 100 highest‑grossing films each year from 2001 to 2022 in the US to see what truly makes a “blockbuster” successful. It examines box office revenue, production budget, number of theatres and production method (live action, animation or hybrid) to propose a quantitative definition of commercial success in twenty‑first‑century cinema.
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Why is it important?
This work shows that spending more money increases revenue but does not automatically make films more profitable, challenging the traditional big‑budget logic. It also finds that only a fraction of top earners meet strict blockbuster criteria and that animated and hybrid CGI films are disproportionately represented among them. These insights give studios and analysts an objective tool to design more efficient production and distribution strategies.
Perspectives
From my perspective, this study confirms that the “blockbuster” is not just a media label but a measurable industrial model. By quantifying budget, theatrical reach, profitability and production type, we show that animation and hybrid CGI formats now occupy a central place in the economics of cinematic success. I hope these findings support more informed decisions about which projects are financed and how they are released.
Marcelo Fraile
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Metrics of film success: defining the 21
st
-century blockbuster in the USA through theatrical release and profitability, Creative Industries Journal, May 2024, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17510694.2024.2357787.
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