Movie theaters just had their best summer since the pandemic. From the beginning of May through the end of August, theaters in the United States and Canada sold about $4.6 billion worth of tickets, up 26 percent from last summer. Big releases such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, and Toy Story 5 helped drive sales, but the success stretched across many kinds of movies. Horror films brought in younger audiences while movies including Michael and The Devil Wears Prada 2 helped bring women back to theaters. 

Hollywood didn’t rely on just one formula for success as low-budget, original films scored just as big at the box office as familiar franchises. This wide range of options attracted all sorts of people to theaters, not just a single demographic. Theaters also made money by offering experiences that are difficult to recreate at home. The Odyssey, for example, helped drive record business for IMAX as audiences paid to see it on large screens and on 70 millimeter film. With different movies appealing to different customers, theaters did not have to depend on one type of blockbuster to keep people buying tickets.

But Hollywood’s recovery is not complete. Studios released 34 movies widely this summer, compared with 44 in 2019, and theaters are still selling far fewer individual tickets than they did before the pandemic. Higher ticket prices, including tickets for premium formats such as IMAX, mean theaters can generate more revenue with fewer customers. Still, analysts say the U.S. and Canadian box office could reach $10 billion this year, a level it has not reached since 2019. After the pandemic, streaming, and Hollywood labor strikes disrupted the industry, this past summer offered some of the strongest evidence yet that the theatrical movie business is regaining its footing.

Questions: 

  1. How did releasing a wide variety of films help the Hollywood box office this summer?

  2. Do you think movie theaters can return to their pre-pandemic dominance? Why or why not?