68
Straight up false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(entertainment)
https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/blockbuster
This seems like one of those terms without any clear origin, and the Wikipedia doesn't list this potential use as one of them. I'm not saying it isn't true (I don't know), but @[email protected] you could edit the title to something like "the term 'blockbuster' may have come from". Or even just add "[disputed]" to the title
This is called a "folk etymology". Great story, but completely false.
this article is why secondary sources (and beyond) are important.
the op is just an assertion made by cbc with no sources (credible or otherwise) whatsoever.
here's what it looks like when people know what they're talking about:
Doing the Lawd's work!
i heard that 'Lawd' is actually an acronym that stands for 'Let's all walk dogs'! but not really, though.
I always thought it was because the lines for the theater would get so long they would fill up a city block.
It is. I dunno what this ice nonsense is.
edit: The actual origin of the word is referring to very large bombs in WWII, which clearly took place long after we were using blocks of ice to cool public spaces. But the modern usage in terms of movies does in fact come from the days when mega-hit movies started having lines around the block.
AI article maybe? It's rambly and doesn't really have a point to make.
Under the Influence is Terry O'Reilly's show and he's usually really good about sourcing things. Pretty disappointing, honestly.
maybe im wrong to, but id expect better from the CBC
/c/explainlikeimcalvin?
AI articles are like Calvin Ball
It’s actually a reference to the blockbuster bomb.
But if a movie bombs, that's a bad thing.
But if that's a bomb ass movie, that's good
If it’s shit, that’s bad.
If it’s the shit, that’s good.
If you’re cold as shit, that’s bad.
If you’re shit hot, that’s good.
The first use of the word in the media was for a war movie.
I had thought it was a reference to a bomb.
Sounds like what someone might make up who was retroactively making up reasons for commonly used terms.
folk etymology my beloathed
edit: nvm other people pointed it out.
it's just too convoluted and cryptic to be true.
shipping literal blocks of ice from wherever the fuck just-in-time so people could cool their shit blows my mind a little every time i think about it. we take fridges for granted.
Yes, we live in one of the best times in human history.
i wouldnt go as far. we do have nuclear weapons, more addictive drugs than ever less friendship than ever and the most effective brainwashing ever invented. we are worse off on so many ways.
I don't know which direction it's coming from, but there is some misinformation in this thread and I don't appreciate it.
Several theories have been put forward for the origin of the term in a film context. One explanation pertains to the practice of "block booking" whereby a studio would sell a package of films to theaters, rather than permitting them to select which films they wanted to exhibit. However, this practice was outlawed in 1948 before the term became common parlance; while pre-1948 high-grossing big-budget spectacles may be retroactively labelled "blockbusters," this is not how they were known at the time. Another explanation is that trade publications would often advertise the popularity of a film by including illustrations showing long queues often extending around the block, but in reality the term was never used in this way. The term was actually first coined by publicists who drew on readers' familiarity with the blockbuster bombs, drawing an analogy with the bomb's huge impact. The trade press subsequently appropriated the term as short-hand for a film's commercial potential
Looking up 'blockbuster word origin' on Searx.ng, it seems generally accepted that the term origin started with WWII bombs.
are you talking about the comment section or the post itself? i don't see anyone in the comments who disagrees that this is folk etymology.
Both. The comments have several "Answers".
All but a few without sourced.
Wrong, the term was invented in 1962 by James Buster and Frederick Block, who were trying to measure movie success rate trends
LMAO i love this
This is not true at all. Atleast not for modern blockbusters since starwars and jaws.
*at least.
I think we all meant what he knew.
I already did!
How about box office?
Thats an outdated term which was eventually used by a VHS rental store after the term was outdated. And NOW, the VHS rental store is outdated. Maybe in 30 years there will be a post "TIL people used to rent VHS tapes as their primary source for watching movies at home. It was called Blockbuster!"
this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
68 points (58.0% liked)
Today I Learned
22179 readers
933 users here now
What did you learn today? Share it with us!
We learn something new every day. This is a community dedicated to informing each other and helping to spread knowledge.
The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:
Rules (interactive)
Rule 1- All posts must begin with TIL. Linking to a source of info is optional, but highly recommended as it helps to spark discussion.
** Posts must be about an actual fact that you have learned, but it doesn't matter if you learned it today. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.**
Rule 2- Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.
Your post subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.
Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.
Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.
Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.
That's it.
Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.
Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.
Rule 6- Regarding non-TIL posts.
Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-TIL posts using the [META] tag on your post title.
Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.
If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.
Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.
For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.
Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.
Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.
Let everyone have their own content.
Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.
Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.
Partnered Communities
You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.
Community Moderation
For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS