Although titles such as Gone With The Wind, Ben Hur, The Sound of Music and several entries in the James Bond franchise had easily taken over $100m at the box office dating all the way back to the 1930s, the template for the blockbuster movie as we know it today didn't really take shape until four decades later. Prior to this, movies were generally rolled out to a limited number of theatres before expanding over time if they were well-received, and could ultimately end up playing for months on end. It seems ridiculous now in the age of media saturation and theatre counts of 3000 and above, but this was the way it was for decades. The 1970s saw the inception of the 'high-concept' pitch; a movie that could be easily described and therefore easily marketed to mass audiences through a wide release. Then came the onslaught of print and television advertising, along with dozens upon dozens of merchandising tie-ins. By the end of the decade, the template for releasing big studio movies was almost unrecognisable. Based on that definition of the term, this article will take a look at the 12 most influential blockbuster movies ever made, listed in the order of their release...