The first film to make $1 billion at the box office

When talking about the biggest films of all time, it is normally major franchises that do much of the work. From the MCU notching up more and more accolades with billions of dollars in their endless stories to James Cameron's soon-to-be multi-layered Avatar series, every movie has been about an ongoing story that makes the fans flock to the theatre every time one of them comes out. While Cameron's own Titanic was seen as the major game-changer, the idea of the major blockbuster film began with Steven Spielberg at the helm.

While some of the most profitable movies of the time were normally reserved for outstanding dramas like Gone With the Wind, something started happening once thrillers like Jaws began sinking their teeth into audiences.

Instead of worrying about the dramatic side of the story, Spielberg's way of using operatic shots to tell his story made casual movie fans flock to the theatre, paving the way for the modern version of the blockbuster. While Jaws managed $400million in its total gross, reaching for something bigger would take a little longer.

As the first major blockbusters started to populate theatres worldwide, the specific formula always revolved around a universal narrative. When looking at movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future, half the reason why fans showed up in droves is because of its widespread appeal—able to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Just as Jaws did over two decades before, Spielberg proved himself a directorial wonder in 1993 with Jurassic Park. Set around the story of scientists making a dinosaur-themed tourist attraction, the story of the prehistoric animals getting out of hand became one of the most enthralling films of the ‘90s.

As opposed to some of the more conventional family films like Aladdin from around the same time, Jurassic Park blew past them all worldwide, becoming the first film to gross over a billion dollars at the box office. Though the milestone may have been set at the time, the film's release marked a turning point for Spielberg.

From there, Spielberg's focus on movies changed drastically, going from family-centred to dark dramas like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. While elements of danger came with his previous films, Spielberg's focus on violence became much more serious going forward, looking at the displacement of real people and how lives can be changed instantly because of senseless violence.

To fill the vacuum, some of the highest-grossing movies of the next few years featured adult themes laced throughout their narrative, such as Disney's The Lion King. As much as it felt like fans needed to decompress from the more operatic style of filmmaking, change was in the air again once James Cameron made his cinematic masterpiece Titanic.

By telling the troubled romance between Jack and Rose, Cameron became the first person to displace Spielberg's track record, earning over two billion dollars at the box office towards the end of 1998. Then again, the high accolades were just getting started.

With the dawn of the 2000s underway, some of the biggest franchises in the world began pulling in some of the highest-grossing numbers in the world, from the ending of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King to countless entries in the MCU passing the $1 billion mark. More than anything, fans began looking at the movie theatre in a much different way. As opposed to just watching an entertaining movie, this was the beginning of seeing a film as a major cultural event.