An event film or event movie is a blockbuster film whose release itself is considered a major event.
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.
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 (2018) and (2019), (2021). The last huge event film was (2022). [4] [5]