What was the first global blockbuster?

[lilmac]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

 

In looking at the biggest world grossers, it is difficult to say which would be the first to lay claim to Global Blockbuster.. 

 

Independence Day is widely viewed as the vanguard for the Global Phenomenon but Lion King, released two years prior, grossed more OS back then.  Then there's Jurassic Park before it.  Movies like Gone with the Wind don't count because while they breached the vaunted $1 billion mark, they did so mainly through domestic grosses.  Let's use this thread to analyze what should be considered the first global blockbuster.

Edited November 13, 2013 by lilmac

[A Marvel Fanboy]

Nah ....

 

It is Gone with the Wind

[ChD]

If not Gone With The Wind, I'd either say Hell's Angels or Jaws.

[keysersoze123]

 Gone with the wind did like 35million admissions in UK. That is crazy. So its GWTW for me as well.

 

Edit: Australian adjusted gross is over 400M.

 

http://melbfilmblog.blogspot.in/2010/04/avatar-and-alleged-box-office-gross.html

 

France: close to 17M admissions(All time number 5)

Edited November 13, 2013 by keysersoze123

[bcf26]

Yeah, I have to say Gone With The Wind. 

[Jake Gittes]

Yep, GWTW.

 

By the way, I recall that before its 3D re-release, The Lion King was sitting at $328.5m DOM and $783m WW, so its original OS gross would have been $455m. Independence Day, meanwhile, made $510m. And Jurassic Park had outgrossed them both with over $550m anyway.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Jake Gittes

[SchumacherFTW]

Discounting Gone With the Wind, does Goldfinger or Thunderball fit the bill?

[htall90]

Gone with the wind was in the cinema for like 8 years so that help lol.

[baumer]

I always thought Jaws was.

[htall90]

I always thought Jaws was.

Yeh meto i would of send that.

[grim22]

From what I remember growing up, "Jurassic Park" was the first hugely anticipated Hollywood movie in India. It was probably the first big movie released after the economy opened up to the world and the trailers made it an event. It was also released in multiple languages and almost 4-6 months after the US release which helped hype it up even more.

[Jonwo]

GWTW wouldn't have debuted in many countries until 1945 due to WWII but in terms of admissions, it was a bonafide hit. The Sound of Music was huge as well and ultimately saved Fox.

[zackzack]

_{I thought the Age of Super Blockbuster got started in 1989, the year of Burton's BATMAN, INDIANA JONES 3, GHOSTBUSTERS II, STAR TREK, Disney's HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, Cameron's THE ABYSS, & the highly lucrative LETHAL WEAPON 2. BATMAN is the model of contemporary summer movie marketing & the importance of opening big. The template for summer line up complete with counter-programming with dramas & comedies started to take shape in 1989: look at the grosses for DEAD POETS SOCIETY (opened in June), WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (July) & PARENTHOOD (Aug).}

 

_{In todays' dollars BATMAN & LAST CRUSADE more than $400M. LETHAL 2 would have made close to $300M. Summer 2013 looks lame compared to the time before Netflix, Tivo & HBO. That was the time when comedies families & decent adults could enjoy could gross around $200M adjusted (HARRY & SALLY, PARENTHOOD, DEAD POETS). These are quality PG-rated stuff, not the kind of crass entertainment we get today (BAD GRANDPA, MILLERS & IDENTITY THIEF).} 

Edited November 13, 2013 by zackzack

[DeeCee]

 Gone with the wind did like 35million admissions in UK. That is crazy. So its GWTW for me as well.

 

Edit: Australian adjusted gross is over 400M.

 

http://melbfilmblog.blogspot.in/2010/04/avatar-and-alleged-box-office-gross.html

 

France: close to 17M admissions(All time number 5)

I don't buy that adjusted number for GWTW in Australia.

[lab276]

Here's GWTW playing in Hong Kong:

[Lordmandeep]

Reality is films like GWTW, Dr. Zhavigo, Ben Hur and such were really popular films around the world

[Jonwo]

I've seen documentaries about the making of Batman and they mention it was highly ancipated and Batman merchandise was sold out before the movie came out. Not even Superman which had very successful had the same level of hype although Superman wasn't number 1 movie of that year, that was Grease

[Tower]

_{I thought the Age of Super Blockbuster got started in 1989, the year of Burton's BATMAN, INDIANA JONES 3, GHOSTBUSTERS II, STAR TREK, Disney's HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, Cameron's THE ABYSS, & the highly lucrative LETHAL WEAPON 2. BATMAN is the model of contemporary summer movie marketing & the importance of opening big. The template for summer line up complete with counter-programming with dramas & comedies started to take shape in 1989: look at the grosses for DEAD POETS SOCIETY (opened in June), WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (July) & PARENTHOOD (Aug).}

 

_{In todays' dollars BATMAN & LAST CRUSADE more than $400M. LETHAL 2 would have made close to $300M. Summer 2013 looks lame compared to the time before Netflix, Tivo & HBO. That was the time when comedies families & decent adults could enjoy could gross around $200M adjusted (HARRY & SALLY, PARENTHOOD, DEAD POETS). These are quality PG-rated stuff, not the kind of crass entertainment we get today (BAD GRANDPA, MILLERS & IDENTITY THIEF).} 

 

That's an interesting choice for a non-crass film (and it was rated R)...

[zackzack]

 

That's an interesting choice for a non-crass film (and it was rated R)...

 

It is rated R therefore it is crass? Have you seen endless stream of crude & mostly unfunny stuff like TAKE HIM TO THE GREEKS, MILLERS, THE BABYSITTER, ID THIEF, BAD GRANDPA? THERE'S SOMETHING ABT MARY is the original crude-fest and "one of a kind". Underneath it, it is a sweet underdog movie. Anything labelled gross-out comedies that come after this movie is just lazy, exploitative, crude and most importantly: soulless & unfunny.

Edited November 15, 2013 by zackzack

[RobinHood26]

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