<P> After the success of Jaws and Star Wars , many Hollywood producers attempted to create similar `` event '' films with wide commercial appeal , and film companies began green - lighting increasingly large - budget films , and relying extensively on massive advertising blitzes leading up to their theatrical release . These two films were the prototypes for the `` summer blockbuster '' trend , in which major film studios and distributors planned their annual marketing strategy around a big release by July 4 , hoping to attract audiences over the summer , previously a moribund time for ticket sales . Blockbusters in the following decade included Close Encounters of the Third Kind ( late 1977 ) , Superman ( 1978 ) , Alien ( 1979 ) , Raiders of the Lost Ark ( 1981 ) , E.T. ( 1982 ) , Ghostbusters ( 1984 ) , Beverly Hills Cop ( 1984 ) , Back to the Future ( 1985 ) . </P>
<P> After the success of Jaws and Star Wars , many Hollywood producers attempted to create similar `` event '' films with wide commercial appeal , and film companies began green - lighting increasingly large - budget films , and relying extensively on massive advertising blitzes leading up to their theatrical release . These two films were the prototypes for the `` summer blockbuster '' trend , in which major film studios and distributors planned their annual marketing strategy around a big release by July 4 , hoping to attract audiences over the summer , previously a moribund time for ticket sales . Blockbusters in the following decade included Close Encounters of the Third Kind ( late 1977 ) , Superman ( 1978 ) , Alien ( 1979 ) , Raiders of the Lost Ark ( 1981 ) , E.T. ( 1982 ) , Ghostbusters ( 1984 ) , Beverly Hills Cop ( 1984 ) , Back to the Future ( 1985 ) . </P>
who decides if a movie is going to be a blockbuster
who decides if a movie is going to be a blockbuster
major film studios and distributors
major film studios and distributors