One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made Turns 93 and Still Defines Hollywood

Ninety-three years ago this week, one of the greatest movies ever made was released in theaters nationwide. Even though the film is decades old, its impact on Hollywood still hasn't faded. Long before modern blockbusters dominated the box office each year, this film redefined what moviegoers thought was possible onscreen, and King Kong still influences Hollywood in key ways today.

'King Kong' Was Released Nationwide on April 7, 1933

King Kong originally had a handful of screenings in New York City, Baltimore, and Los Angeles in March 1933. However, it wasn't until April 7, 1933, that the groundbreaking film was given a wide release across the United States.

Why This Movie Is Still Considered One of the Greatest Ever Made

Throughout the history of Hollywood, a seemingly endless list of movies has been produced and embraced by film fans. As a result, the competition to stand out as one of the best of all time is fierce, to say the very least. Despite that, 1933's King Kong has earned spots on several highly prestigious rankings of the greatest movies of all time.

In 2007, the American Film Institute included King Kong on its list of the 100 best movies ever produced in the United States. The following year, in 2008, the same institution ranked it as the fourth best Fantasy film. When Time magazine put together its list of the 100 greatest films ever made, it included King Kong. These are only three of the many times the monster movie has been recognized as an all-time masterpiece.

Why 'King Kong' Changed Movies Forever

On February 2, 2002, Roger Ebert published an essay on his website about the legacy of King Kong. While he became famous as a critic, Ebert also had a deep understanding of film history. As a result, when he credited the 1933 monster movie with influencing decades of movies, his words truly meant something. “King Kong is the father of Jurassic Park, the Alien movies, and countless other stories in which heroes are terrified by skillful special effects."

Simply helping to invent or popularize the man versus monster movie genre is more than enough to prove that modern Hollywood is still heavily influenced by King Kong. But, its impact on Hollywood arguably goes further than that, as some credit the movie with being a groundbreaking early example of the blockbusters that dominate the box office today. In 2002, Turner Classic Movies described King Kong as "a major blockbuster for its era" that "would inspire countless imitations."

Similarly, a Screen Rant article about King Kong credited the movie as being the prototypical movie smash. "1933 saw many defining events: the inauguration of FDR, the end of Prohibition, and the birth of the proto-blockbuster."