10 Most Hyped Movies Of All Time (And How They Turned Out)
8. Gone With The Wind (1939)
Looking back at it now from more than 80 years later, it seems strange to think that a movie like Gone With the Wind would generate as much hype as it did. This was during an age when there was no Internet or television, and not everyone owned a radio.
Even without the ability to spread the news of the picture to as many people as is possible today, Gone With the Wind had little problem generating hype through its successful publicity campaign, which included positive word of mouth and beautiful pictures of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
They were two of the biggest stars of their generation, and with the promise of elaborate sets, huge sequences, and a movie that was structured and made unlike any that came before it, the anticipation of the film's arrival was immense. When the film was screened for a select audience at the famous Fox Theater, it received numerous bouts of applause and a standing ovation when the credits rolled.
It also didn't hurt that the movie was adapted from Margaret Mitchell's famous novel of the same name. When you think about it, Gone With the Wind had a lot going for it, and the hype was definitely realized. The box-office take came in around $68 million, but when you add the total in rental receipts, it made $390 million in total, which equates to $6.8 billion in 2019 dollars making Gone With the Wind the most financially successful film of all time.