Intro; Acknowledgments; Praise for Blockbuster Performances; Contents; List of Figures; Chapter 1: Why Do Critics and Scholars Dismiss Blockbuster Performances?; References; Chapter 2: Historical Epic Blockbusters: Are You Not Entertained ... By Actors?; Titanic (1997); Gladiator (2000); References; Chapter 3: Magic-Fantasy Blockbusters: One Whimsy to Rule Them All; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001); Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003); References; Chapter 4: Superhero Blockbusters: Actors Ahead of the Curve; The Dark Knight (2008)

Iron Man (2008)References; Chapter 5: Crime Action Blockbusters: Performing Shaken, Not Stirred; Die Hard (1988); Skyfall (2012); Furious7 (2015); References; Chapter 6: Male-Led Science Fiction Blockbusters: Performing "Faster, More Intense"; Star Wars (1977); a.k.a. Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope; Back to the Future (1985); The Matrix (1999); References; Chapter 7: Female-Led Science Fiction Blockbusters: Performing "Stop Taking My Hand!"; Aliens (1986); The Hunger Games (2012); Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015); References; Chapter 8: Conclusion: Once More Around the Blockbuster; Index