The rise of the Brazilian blockbuster: how ideas of exceptionality and scale shape a booming cinema

Abstract

Increased transnational partnerships, commercialization, and convergence largely shape the organizational and industrial dynamics of Brazilian media industries today. This article examines the current Brazilian blockbuster cycle as a production model as well as through discourses of exceptionality and distribution mentalities. Based on interviews and field research, trade stories suggest Brazilian filmmakers are not trying to replicate Hollywood but adapt parts of a production strategy to reimagine the scale and commercial nature of this national cinema. Overall, the 2000s blockbuster cycle follows traditional discourses surrounding the blockbuster such as scope, scale, and exceptionality on a local level, yet reflects an aim to promote the Brazilian economy and national identity as a powerful player on the global stage. A closer look at the Tropa de Elite film franchise reveals how the local blockbuster reflects industrial practices and discursive patterns of culture-as-resource. As a “mode of differentiated production,” the local blockbuster model trades on exception and cultural particularities as currency within the transnational economy.