Definition

A highly successful movie, book, or other product that achieves enormous commercial success and widespread popularity. Originally coined in WWII to describe bombs, it now primarily refers to entertainment that dominates box offices and sales charts.

Example Usage

The new superhero film was a blockbuster, earning over a billion dollars worldwide.

Origin

From 'block-buster,' a WWII term for a bomb powerful enough to destroy an entire city block.

Fun Fact

The Blockbuster video rental chain was founded in 1985 and once had over 9,000 locations worldwide before streaming services like Netflix rendered the business model obsolete.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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See “Blockbuster” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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