Hollywood Is Banking on ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘Zootopia 2’ to Bring Back the Box Office. Will It Work?

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For movie theater owners, “Hang on until the 25th year” has become a guiding principle as one disaster after another has delayed their business’s recovery. However, the end of this lengthy journey is now in sight, so will the upcoming lineup bring about a genuine resurgence at the box office?

For the next eleven months, some highly anticipated movies like “Mission: Impossible – The Last Stand”, “Jurassic World: Resurgence”, “Avatar: Flames and Embers”, “Wicked: For Better or Worse” and “Superman” will be released in Hollywood. The intention is to increase earnings to a level comparable to pre-COVID times. Now that the pandemic and strikes are behind us, domestic revenues are expected to reach between $9.3 billion and $9.5 billion for the year. This would mark the best post-pandemic period yet, although it will still be below pre-pandemic levels when North American box office sales typically reached between $10.5 billion and $11 billion annually.

Shawn Robbins, Fandango’s director of movie analytics, states that we have moved beyond COVID and labor disputes, marking a new era. Particularly during the summer months, there are no more valid reasons for delays.

Representatives such as Gary Westmark from Odyssey Cinemas based in Wisconsin remain hopeful that the current supply will be sufficient to bring stability to an industry that has faced threats for the past five years.

Westmark expresses his excitement, stating, “The upcoming series is simply phenomenal! Just in the month of July, we have ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Superman,’ and ‘Fantastic Four.’ It’s difficult not to expect a massive success!

However, while many movies are anticipated to be successful, not all will achieve box office glory, and there remain numerous uncertainties about 2025’s releases.

Will the upcoming “Minecraft” film in April be on par with the success of “Super Mario,” or will it join the list of unsuccessful video game adaptations led by Jack Black? How about the Michael Jackson biopic musical, “Michael”? Will it mirror the triumph of “Bohemian Rhapsody” akin to Queen, or will it follow in the footsteps of “Back to Black,” which was less successful like Amy Winehouse’s work? Can “Superman” provide enough power to revitalize DC Comics? And here’s an interesting question: can three Marvel movies – “Captain America: Brave New World” in February, “Thunderbolts” in May, and “Fantastic Four” in July – be released across a six-month span without negatively impacting each other’s box office performance?

Hold on, there’s another point to ponder: Was “Barbenheimer” merely a stroke of luck, or will the original tales crafted by Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners,” and Dwayne Johnson’s “Smashing Machine” demonstrate an enduring appetite among moviegoers for fresh narratives? Could there ever come a time when audiences grow weary of dinosaurs? (To be honest, I highly doubt it, so it seems “Jurassic World Rebirth” is here to stay.)

Imax CEO Rich Gelfond remarks, “We’re in a situation where we have an abundance of excellent options.” He goes on to explain that the largest cinemas may find it challenging to screen both ‘F1’ and ‘Jurassic’ as they are set to release a week apart. Furthermore, he suggests that some films might not meet their initial expectations.

Some exhibitors wonder if there’s enough variety in the schedule to attract audiences between the major blockbusters. Around 110 films are planned for release by December, which is more than the 94 nationwide releases in 2024 but fewer than the 120 from 2019’s lineup, as per Comscore data, indicating a decrease of around 4%.

As a movie enthusiast, I find myself yearning for the days when the cinema landscape was brimming with wide releases and blockbusters. However, Patrick Corcoran, a founding member of The Fithian Group, suggests that we’re not yet back to where we were before the pandemic in terms of quantity and diversity. Major studios seem hesitant to return to their pre-pandemic levels of output. Therefore, it appears that independent studios will play a crucial role in filling this gap and providing us with the movies we crave.

Mad About the Boy,” are still being released directly on Peacock.

According to Westmark, blockbusters are crucial, but they’re not enough for survival. He believes mid-sized films should be moving to streaming platforms, but he thinks that’s a misstep.

A positive development is the revival of family-oriented content, with 2024 promising blockbusters like “Inside Out 2”, “Moana 2”, and “Despicable Me 4” that have grossed impressive figures of $1.68 billion, $1.04 billion, and $967 million respectively. This year also sees continuations in popular franchises such as “Zootopia 2”, remakes of “How to Train Your Dragon” and a new take on “Snow White”. However, the summer will present a significant challenge for Pixar with their original production, “Elio”, as they have faced difficulties recently in creating fresh stories.

Gregory Quinn, the managing partner of Caribbean Cinemas located in Puerto Rico, stated that family-oriented movies are making a comeback and are more popular than ever. He added that it’s beneficial to have established intellectual properties (IP), but studios have been clever in taking risks with films like ‘The Wild Robot’. The blockbusters of the future are being developed from today’s original films.

Theater operators are exploring alternative strategies to revitalize the film industry. Instead of opting for widespread marketing campaigns, regional networks such as Odyssey are focusing on tailored advertisements aimed at specific audiences.

Westmark mentions that encouraging people to return to movie theaters is a current focus. He suggests this responsibility primarily lies with smaller, local cinemas. His strategy involves improving customer service and utilizing social media to generate buzz and enthusiasm.

Some seasoned professionals within the industry propose that exhibitors could experiment with innovative pricing strategies. For instance, major theater chains like AMC Theatres have tested increasing ticket prices for blockbuster movies by $1 to $2. Interestingly, “Discount Tuesday” – where tickets cost just $5 regardless of the film – can attract similar or even greater audiences compared to prime weekend days. This raises a question: Could customers visit more often if tickets for films in their fourth, fifth, or even sixth weekends were priced lower than opening weekend prices?

According to Corcoran, unlike most other industries which base their pricing on supply and demand dynamics, we solely consider factors like time of day or age. This pricing strategy, he argues, can potentially deter customers, as there might be movies they’d be willing to watch at a reduced price, but the higher cost keeps them away. It’s a situation where lower prices could attract more people.

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2025-02-19 19:25