Idiom
tentpole movie
Meaning
A major motion picture which is expensive to produce but expected to generate significant revenue for its studio and investors.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The studio hopes their new tentpole movie makes a lot of money.”
“Every major studio releases at least one tentpole movie during the holiday season.”
“Because the studio spent millions on this tentpole movie, they scheduled the release for the busiest weekend of the summer.”
“If this superhero sequel fails at the box office, the company might not have enough money to produce any other films this year because it is their only tentpole movie.”
“The studio relies heavily on the success of each annual tentpole movie to fund their smaller, more experimental projects throughout the rest of the year.”
Examples
simple
“The studio hopes their new tentpole movie makes a lot of money.”
“Every major studio releases at least one tentpole movie during the holiday season.”
contextual
“Because the studio spent millions on this tentpole movie, they scheduled the release for the busiest weekend of the summer.”
“If this superhero sequel fails at the box office, the company might not have enough money to produce any other films this year because it is their only tentpole movie.”
complex
“The studio relies heavily on the success of each annual tentpole movie to fund their smaller, more experimental projects throughout the rest of the year.”
Origin
The term derives from a literal comparison to the central support of a pavilion, functioning as an allusion to the manner in which a supporting tentpole holds up the structure of a tent. Just as the physical pole prevents the canvas from collapsing, the cinematic counterpart is intended to provide the necessary stability to sustain a studio's broader financial architecture.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated