Origin of Blockbuster

Everything changes with the passage of time. Even in some instances, the original meaning of a word is lost and is replaced to mean something else. Blockbuster is one of such words. Initially it meant an awesome bomb, which is mighty enough to destroy an entire block of buildings. In fact, the first batch of blockbusters was produced by the Royal Air Force, UK (RAF) during the Second World War. The very earliest of those blockbusters, weighing an impressive 4.000 lbs, was dropped on the German city of Emden during an air raid in March 1941.The wartime press was quick enough to name the powerful bomb as ‘Blockbuster’ and within no time, the coinage was being used metaphorically to describe anything and everything which had a massive devastating effect.

However, the original implication of the term gradually disappeared after the war, leaving us the word, which is used today mainly to mean a big-budget spectacular film with great commercial success.

It may be mentioned here that, ‘Blockbuster’ was the name of an American-based provider of home movie and video game rental services through their rental outlets. It became internationally known throughout the 1990s. Yet, competition from the Netflix, Amazon and others led to Blockbuster's eventual downfall. However, Blockbuster outlets on the

edges have not totally fallen victim to online video rivals, because internet service is not very much reliable in some remote towns and resorts where the last stores still exist.