The Line Starts Here: A History of the Blockbuster

What do you think of when you hear the term “Blockbuster?”

I thought of a video store too—blue and yellow carpeted aisles, popcorn-scented air, and a wall of New Releases. But the term’s origin is older—and louder—than that. “Blockbuster” was originally a WWII term for a massive bomb capable of destroying an entire city block. 

By the 1950s, it had been co-opted by Hollywood to describe movies so explosively popular that lines wrapped around the block. 

In the 1980s, the phenomenon reached new heights: think E.T., Ghostbusters, and The Goonies—films that turned moviegoing into a cultural event, complete with long waits, sold-out shows, and that electric feeling that everyone was talking about the same story. 

Many of these films are hitting milestone anniversaries this decade—The Goonies is 40 years old—and waiting in these lines to see movies has become a thing of the past. 

Today, digital ticketing and pre-assigned seats have mostly tamed the chaos. You can claim your IMAX throne or concert seat weeks in advance. But lines haven’t vanished—they’ve just moved. You’ll still find them outside buzzy restaurants, sneaker drops, and pop-up shops, where scarcity meets hype and the line itself becomes part of the experience.

Turns out, the blockbuster spirit never really left—it just evolved.