Building A Blockbuster
- Feb 7
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 15
Way before a film appears at your local movie theater there are endless factors throughout its development and production considered by a studio when determining a release date. You wouldn’t schedule a big budget blockbuster for a Super Bowl weekend release of course. You wouldn’t release A Nightmare on Elm Street around Easter. If Taylor Swift announces a surprise concert film for her mega-successful Eras Tour—you may want to move your film the week of its release.
Distribution Channels
The industry had been slowly evolving with the emergence of streaming services over the past decade, but the COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for transformative change.
“Will this go to theaters? Is there enough interest in this film for a theatrical release? Would this perform better on our streaming service and bring in more subscribers?” Today studios are also comfortable with making under-performing films available to rent or purchase for a premium price on the ancillary market a lot earlier.
Smaller lesser-known indie and foreign films have limited releases which slowly expand over territories as interest and ticket sales grow.
For example, MUBI is positioning Die My Love as a prestige limited release, which positions it as an awards contendor this fall.
Really high-profile projects on the other hand strategically reserve their release dates years ahead, saying, “This is my space! Schedule your film around me at your own discretion!”
For example, after endless delays, Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water, had its December 15th 2022 release date confirmed in August 2020. Without any strong box office competition nearby, the film had free reign and dominated the box office for weeks—becoming the 3rd highest-grossing film of all time with $2.3 billion worldwide!
It would be almost two months later when M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin would finally push The Way of Water off the #1 spot in early February.
The Power of Social Listening
To develop, produce, and distribute films requires being up-to-date and listening to what is going on in pop culture to understand the interests and behaviors of how audiences consume entertainment.
A modern asset used by talent agencies and studios is utilizing data and social listening when packaging and marketing projects.
Online conversation and its sometimes strong collective consensus by the public on any singular aspect of a project can heavily impact its performance.
In 2019, Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog was pushed back four months into 2020 when the public vehemently expressed great dissatisfaction with the character’s design.
A redesign would result in a $320M box office return, a $400M sequel, and a third film in 2024 which earned a box office best with $492M! WOW!
DreamWorks’ Shrek 5
In late February 2025, Universal finally confirmed the long-rumored fifth installment to Shrek with a cast announcement.
However, fans noticed the characters looked a little…different.
While the backlash was not intense compared to Sonic, great fan dissatisfaction was an undeniable conversation happening.
Well, it looks like Far Far Away Land just got a bit farther, because Shrek 5 has been pushed back to June 30th 2027!
While DreamWorks has not released a statement on their reasoning, one must wonder, could this be another case of animation redesign in the works?
Checkout this conversation from ScreenRant which delves more into this!
In recent years more experimental animation styles have found increasing mainstream success with films such as Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Wild Robot, Flow, and most recently KPop Demon Hunters. In addition, parent company Universal has had incredible success in collaboration with French animation studio “Illumination” Mac Guff.
Shrek was released in 2001 and has a distinctive animation style throughout the franchise. While it’s understandable DreamWorks may want to refresh the look as part of the reboot, these beloved characters have been recognized in a consistent way for nearly 25 years. Debuting a new style undercuts the nostalgia factor — one of the film’s strongest advantages.
It would be in the best interest of Universal to follow Paramount’s playbook, but the true make or break will likely be the need for a compelling story.
Can Shrek survive a new look? It absolutely can, the possibility exists! But a well-developed story is what will garner positive reviews and good word-of-mouth which would bring in moviegoers and lead to a successful streaming performance when made available on Peacock and other SVOD/TVOD channels.
Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010) were not particularly memorable and the forgettable, aimless, and relatively uninspired stories relative to their predecessors are what largely led to the franchise’s lackluster end.
If Shrek 5 is a success, it can serve as a foundation for more installments similar to Sonic the Hedgehog.
Beyond utilizing social listening to estimate a film’s box office, it can help better understand and consider talent appeal and likability.
In 2023, The Flash lead star Ezra Miller had been garnering negative attention for troubling behavior and serious allegations in recent years.
Regardless of good word-of-mouth as DC’s best—a brand long-troubled with behind the scenes drama and controversial creative decisions—it was not enough to bring in an audience. The Flash earned $266M worldwide against an estimated $200M budget.
The public will not hesitate to share their opinions on social media—ready to hype a project up or completely tear it down á la Ghostbusters (2016). Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves would ring echos of one of the earliest high-profile examples where coordinated online harassment, sexist vitriol, and aggressive negativity were visible and widespread.
Case in Point: Barbie (2023)
Barbie entered a space where Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One had been released only two weeks prior on July 12. Just the last summer, MI star Tom Cruise dominated the global box office with Top Gun: Maverick, but Cruise was no match for “Barbenheimer.”
BARBENHEIMER
Barbenheimer emerged when movie fans realized Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was scheduled for release the same day as Barbie more than a year prior to their release. From Universal, it would be Nolan’s first release since his 2021 departure from longtime home Warner Bros where he produced popular films such as Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight series.
It was going to be a showdown! Barbenheimer similar to the online McDonald’s Grimace Shake phenomenon took on a life of its own, and both films—without choice—rode the wave to massive box office success!
Moviegoers would either opt for a double-feature or choose to support one over another for many reasons worthy of their own conversation.
An Unforgettable Promotional Campaign
What made Barbenheimer special was making going to the movies an event— finding your most fashionable pink outfit and heading to the movies, just like Barbie and Ken!
Trending unofficial on-set photos of filming in Venice Beach more than a year prior to its release would be an indicator of the film’s success! The release of the trailer included endless character posters from a star-studded cast along with a massively successful photo generator for fans to make their own!
It would be only a small piece of an expensive marketing campaign from Warner Bros.
The campaign included premieres across the globe featuring lead star Margot Robbie dressed in Barbie’s most iconic outfits on the red carpet; racking up millions of views on social media.
The domestic opening weekend box office alone brought in $162M and an additional $96M overseas.
Tentpole Counter-programming
Barbie and Oppenheimer could not have been any more different from one another and it allowed moviegoers to have options from some of the best and adored talent in the industry. In addition, great critics and audience reviews would also reflect the quality of the films.
Christopher Nolan is a proven brand; the Dom Pérignon of film for many. Nolan has a loyal fanbase similar to A24—when fans see the name attached, they are showing up for a good time no matter what! On the other hand, Barbie is the definition of a pop culture icon with an ever-growing fanbase since her introduction to the world in 1959 by toymaker Mattel. Gerwig's past work has received Academy Award nominations for Lady Bird (Screenwriting) & Little Women (Directing).
Greta Gerwig would become the first female director to join the billion dollar club, another milestone for her impressive directorial career along with garnering a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination for Barbie along with co-writer Noah Baumbach.
Christopher Nolan would win the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director for Oppenheimer.
A Legendary Pop Culture Phenomenon
The cultural phenomenon could not have been strategically planned or organically grown. Barbenheimer proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
By September 6th, Barbie had surpassed the year’s highest grossing film The Super Mario Bros Movie ($1.3 billion) from Universal which would also claim 3rd place with Oppenheimer’s $976 million worldwide gross.
Barbie ended its theatrical run with $1,447,038,421.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Now in Production)
Searchlight wants you to know The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now in production, so weeks later when the cast were spotted in New York City, there was no question about what was going on.
Fans descended on the filming locations to record and share videos online from virtually every angle. Check out the performance of these spoiler free TikTok screenshots!
These 5 videos alone garnered nearly 28 million impressions of organic buzz! Almost a year before the film hits theaters and no official marketing! 😳
Seeing moviegoers excited for a film like this is certainly a breath of fresh air.
How much do you think The Devil Wears Prada earned worldwide? Keep reading to find out! 😉
The Devil Wears Prada released back in 2006 and earned an impressive $327M worldwide—adjusted for inflation, that’s about $490-$500 million! WOAH!
While some may think of the film as having a cult following…it was actually a hit!
Over the past decade, the film has been increasingly adored online with lines like “That’s all”, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” and reaction gifs of Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestley constantly recycled on social media.
It’s a phenomenon that’s fueled interest in other long-gap sequels or reboots — internet culture turns certain scenes into shorthand for moods or attitudes, keeping them alive far longer than traditional marketing cycles.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is coming May 1st 2026. Will you be watching? If so, do you plan on dressing up, and will it be cerulean?