Blockbuster is a term derived from theater slang referring to a particularly successful play (i.e. one that is so successful that competing theaters on the block are "busted" and driven out of business). It can apply to other productions besides plays, such as musicals and movies. The motion picture industry in particular has adopted the term for a financially successful film. In a looser sense, it may mean any big-budget Hollywood movie with famous stars that dominates public attention, even if the movie is a dud.

The threshold for a blockbuster has often been placed at $100 million in ticket sales, a mark first achieved by Steven Spielberg's Jaws. As Hollywood has focused on creating films with the broad appeal necessary to achieve high ticket sales, it has been criticized for succumbing to a "blockbuster mentality", to the detriment of artistic quality.

Blockbuster Video is biggest chain of video tape and DVD rental shops in North America. It has been equally successful in other countries. See main article for details.

Blockbusters was also the name of an NBC daytime quiz show, broadcast from 1980 to 1982.