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become you. Keep your head on your shoulders, and keep working. You're not a real star yet. Fame from a single blockbuster only lasts so long before people start to forget about you. It only takes about a year before you become yesterday's news, and you're back at the bottom of the heap. So what do you do? Find another blockbuster, and lay into it until you hit the big time: a mega-blockbuster.

Mega-Blockbusters

These are the monstrous movies that create Hollywood superstars that reign for decades. This is when you become a true film titan, and everyone wants you for everything. Everything will change at this point in your life. Paychecks for subsequent movies start to reach $10 to $20 million, you'll start to see true long-term fame, and you'll experience all the associated VIP luxuries. So what's the difference between a blockbuster and a mega-blockbuster? About 15 million tickets sold. Every movie star had at least one that made them who they are today. Keanu Reeves - Speed. Julia Roberts - Pretty Woman. Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic. Cameron Diaz - The Mask. Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop. Nicole Kidman - Batman Forever. Nicolas Cage - The Rock. Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs. Russell Crowe - Gladiator. Meg Ryan - Top Gun. Harrison Ford - Star Wars. Will Smith - Independence Day. All of these movies were released right before these superstar actors and actresses became the insanely popular movie stars that they are today. They're not hard to find nor predict. They mostly follow the same guidelines that I've given all along for blockbusters. Popular subject matter, an entertaining plot, and it helps to have a big budget.

Choosing Blockbusters

There are some wonder hits that come out of nowhere with shoestring budgets, like The Blair Witch Project and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But if you want surefire success, look for movies that have huge budgets that studios are going to invest a lot more focus into.

If Warner Bros. sinks $80 million into a movie, unless the finished product is absolute trash, you can be sure that they're going to throw a huge marketing campaign at it as well to ensure it reaches blockbuster status. They will take care of you and make you famous.

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