'blockbuster' originates from English, a compound of 'block' + 'buster' (literally 'breaker of a block'), where 'block' referred to a city block and 'buster' derived from the verb 'bust' meaning 'to break' or 'smash'.

'blockbuster' first appeared in mid-20th-century wartime slang for very large bombs capable of destroying a city block; the term was then applied metaphorically to hugely successful films and other phenomena, becoming the modern sense 'blockbuster'.

Initially, it meant 'a bomb able to destroy a city block,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a very successful film, product, or event with massive public appeal.'