tentpole

noun

1. One of the poles used to hold up a tent.
2. (US, attributive, figuratively)A large-scale entertainment production that is a major source of revenue for its studio, television network, or investors.

   “His [James Rolfe's] reasoning dances around the simple fact that has set this innocuous-seeming movie apart from its fellow blockbusters this summer—that it’s a tentpole genre film starring women.”

verb

1. To schedule a popular programme between two newer or less popular ones in the hope that viewers will watch them.