Spielberg is often credited with creating the first smash hit of a new blockbuster era with Jaws (1975), through a combination of pre-sold property, marketing blitz, and wide release. His E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) featured a young boy coaxing an alien out of hiding with a trail of Reese's Pieces, tripling sales of the candy; according to Campaign, the marketing magazine, this was when "modern-day product placement began."

DEFINE: Defines the blockbuster era as combining pre-sold property, marketing blitz, and wide release, with Jaws as its origin point.

Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, loc. 404