tentpoles
Shelter's vertical bones
Tentpoles are the central supports that hold up a tent, and by extension, the main elements supporting any enterprise.
In entertainment, tentpole films are big-budget productions expected to generate enough revenue to support a studio's smaller projects: The superhero franchise is the studio's tentpole.
A tentpole event anchors a schedule or season.
Heavy woven cloth
- stakesPosts or wagers
- riggingRopes controlling ship sails
- mastVessel's sail support
- uprightsVertical load-bearing posts
framework · support · canopy · pegs · rope · anchoring · stability · shelter
Licensed business operation
- sequelContinuation of prior work
- summerYear's warmest season
- box-officeTheater's ticket-selling counter
- megahitEnormously successful release
superhero · studio · grossing · premiere · trilogy · saga · spectacle · CGI
Secures ships to seabed
- flagshipCommander's principal vessel
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- pillarUpright architectural support
- foundationUnderlying support structure
mainstay · keystone · linchpin · backbone · bedrock · centerpiece · core · essential
canvas
Heavy woven cloth
uprights · framework · support · canopy · pegs · rope · anchoring · stability · shelter · erection
franchise
Licensed business operation
- sequelContinuation of prior work
- summerYear's warmest season
- box-officeTheater's ticket-selling counter
megahit · superhero · studio · grossing · premiere · trilogy · saga · spectacle · CGI · star-studded
anchor
Secures ships to seabed
- flagshipCommander's principal vessel
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- pillarUpright architectural support
foundation · mainstay · keystone · linchpin · backbone · bedrock · centerpiece · core · essential · primary
tentpolestent fabric
Outdoor shelter covering
guy lines · canvas · groundsheet · ground sheet · canopy
tentpolesindie films
Non-mainstream cinema productions
art house films · filler · B-movies · sleepers · programmers
tentpolesloss leaders
Goods priced below cost
write-offs · throwaways · also-rans · expendables · afterthoughts
- tentpole movieMajor studio revenue pillar
- tentpole filmHigh-budget guaranteed earner