Summer is the time that the Hollywood studios typically pin their hopes on “event” films with wide commercial appeals. The rough definition of a summer blockbuster is one that makes over 100 million dollars (though if the film itself costs much more than that to make, the definition may not apply). Billy Jack 1971, is considered by many people to be the first summer blockbuster film, though Jaws 1975 is also often mentioned as well. The following are books that discuss the blockbuster phenomenon and summer movies.
Screening difference : how Hollywood’s blockbuster films imagine race, ethnicity, and culture Fine Arts PN1995.9.E95 G5613 2007
Directed by Steven Spielberg : poetics of the contemporary Hollywood blockbuster Fine Arts PN1998.3.S65 B83 2006
Now in theaters everywhere : a celebration of a certain kind of blockbuster Special Collections Rogg Collection PN1995 .T789 2006
The way Hollywood tells it : story and style in modern movies Fine Arts PN1993.5.U6 B656 2006
Movie blockbusters Fine Arts PN1993.5.A1 M68 2003
Spectacular narratives : Hollywood in the age of the blockbuster Fine Arts TR858 .K6 2000
Titanic : anatomy of a blockbuster Fine Arts PN1997.T54 T58 1999