tentpole
noun
tent·pole
ˈtent-ˌpōl 
: a big-budget movie whose earnings are expected to compensate the studio for its less profitable movies
Examples of tentpole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From Hollywood tentpoles to European festival titles, Western filmmaking’s share of China’s box office pie remains at a generational low, and few in the industry anticipate a return to the 30-40 percent market share international movies claimed during the pre-pandemic era.
—
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The monster tentpole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary, has impressively remained in the top five for seven consecutive weekends and has grossed $191 million domestically and $558.8 million globally to date.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 May 2024
What other cultural tentpole gathers tens of thousands of Black people to drive economic growth through cultural currency and community beyond music?
—Hakeem Holmes, Essence, 8 May 2024
While original songs remain big draws for tentpole movies – who can forget the multi-format dominance of last year’s Barbie soundtrack – score soundtracks tend to cater to markedly smaller audiences.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 8 May 2024
Perhaps because Scott continues to work with top-notch below-the-line crew members, the swords-and-sandals saga, which stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, looked more finished seven months ahead of its Nov. 22 release than some superhero tentpoles on opening night.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
The tentpole’s China total sits at $110.3 million and is projected to climb as high as $130 million.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2024
Some voters love this as a tentpole of a player’s candidacy.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Ticket sales dropped a standard (for a tentpole of its size and scale) 60% from its mighty $80 million debut and stand at $132 million domestically and $361 million globally.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The monster tentpole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary, has impressively remained in the top five for seven consecutive weekends and has grossed $191 million domestically and $558.8 million globally to date.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 May 2024
What other cultural tentpole gathers tens of thousands of Black people to drive economic growth through cultural currency and community beyond music?
—Hakeem Holmes, Essence, 8 May 2024
While original songs remain big draws for tentpole movies – who can forget the multi-format dominance of last year’s Barbie soundtrack – score soundtracks tend to cater to markedly smaller audiences.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 8 May 2024
Perhaps because Scott continues to work with top-notch below-the-line crew members, the swords-and-sandals saga, which stars Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, looked more finished seven months ahead of its Nov. 22 release than some superhero tentpoles on opening night.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
The tentpole’s China total sits at $110.3 million and is projected to climb as high as $130 million.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Apr. 2024
Some voters love this as a tentpole of a player’s candidacy.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Ticket sales dropped a standard (for a tentpole of its size and scale) 60% from its mighty $80 million debut and stand at $132 million domestically and $361 million globally.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tentpole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Tentpole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tentpole. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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