The Blockbuster is Dead, Long Live the Blockbuster!

Have you noticed that the summer blockbuster isn't what it used to be? Oh sure, almost everything Disney/Marvel/Pixar puts out has hit $1 billion this year. But the "guaranteed" hits like Dark Phoenix, Men in Black: International, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters quickly sank at the box office.

What's happening to movies? Is the summer blockbuster a thing of the past?

Join SYFY WIRE's Jackie Jennings and Angelique Roche as they examine the ever-changing dynamic of blockbuster movies. Jackie is also cosplaying as a videotape from Blockbuster Video ... or this may be what she does for Casual Fridays at the New York office. It's fitting that her outfit is a blast from the past, because Jackie and Angelique are also taking us on a trip back to the beginning of the summer blockbuster. In 1975, director Steven Spielberg changed the game with Jaws. Now a new paradigm is emerging.

Summer blockbusters used to be confined to the last weekend of May through the first weekend of September. But Hollywood has been steadily moving the goalposts for years. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man claimed the first weekend in May. Nearly two decades later, the last two Avengers movies took over the last weekend in April.

It's getting to the point where films geared toward summer crowds are coming out earlier and earlier. Captain Marvel hit in March this year, while Black Panther and Deadpool found massive success in February. December has also been very good to three out of the last four Star Wars films.

There are still a few dump months on the release schedule, where studios drop their films that they don't really believe in. But those months are becoming rarer and rarer. The blockbusters have taken over, and they're almost year-round now.

For more blockbuster details, check out the full video with Jackie and Angelique!