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From Jaws to Barbie: The Rise & Fall of the Blockbuster
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Blockbusters: From Jaws to Barbie… Now What?
Blockbusters once ruled the summer—Jaws, Star Wars, Batman, Jurassic Park. But now? Theaters are empty while streaming drops movies like they’re TikToks. Did Hollywood kill the blockbuster, or did audiences? We break down the highs, the lows, and why the smell of popcorn in a packed theater will never be replaced.
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw take you on a nostalgia trip through the golden age of the blockbuster, from the birth of the event movie in 1975 with Jaws, to the billion-dollar phenomena of Barbie, Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Way of Water. They swap memories of lining up for hours, talk merch that became collector’s gold, and debate whether the summer blockbuster is dying—or just evolving into something new.
Expect rants, geek court debates, epic fails (The Flash, we’re looking at you), and critical hits (Deadpool & Wolverine, take a bow). Whether you were there for opening night in ’89 or stream every new release from your couch, this is your front-row ticket to the conversation.
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Welcome to Original Geek—the podcast for anyone who rolled their first d20 on shag carpet, waited hours for a comic book JPEG to load on dial-up, and wore the label “geek” back when it got you mocked, not monetized.
Hosted by stand-up comic Steve Scarfo and Forever DM Jeff Shaw, we dive deep into what it meant to be a geek in the '70s and '80s—and how that underground culture became the mainstream multiverse we live in today.
🎙️ Subscribe for weekly episodes on Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, comic book chaos, geek court debates, and critical hits from your childhood basement.
👾 Follow us @OriginalGeekPodcast on socials and visit OriginalGeekPodcast.com for merch, extras, and to send us your own geeky tales.
If you ever hid a Monster Manual like it was porn, you’re not alone. You’re an Original Geek. Welcome home.
Chapters
1. From Jaws to Barbie: The Rise & Fall of the Blockbuster (00:00:00)
2. Canon Correction (00:01:16)
3. The Summer Blockbuster (00:01:23)
4. Geek Flashback (00:17:29)
5. Geek Court (00:24:54)
6. Basement Treasures (00:31:16)
7. Geek Evolution (00:38:09)
8. Geek Rant (00:42:01)
9. Critical Hits & Epic Fails (00:47:15)
10. Are Blockbusters Really a Thing of the past? (00:51:47)
12 episodes
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