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B&B Theatres CEO Bob Bagby apologized to his staffers in advance. He was bracing for the opening weekend of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and knew everyone would need to work around the clock. That’s no exaggeration:
Screenings were scheduled at such odd hours as 8 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. to meet demand.
“We were calling managers to add show times and get employees to stay. We just kept selling out,” Bagby recalls. “Nobody had Sunday off. It was tough on the team, but they were happy to see the crowds.”
Bagby, whose family has operated the Missouri-based B&B Theaters for more than 100 years, wasn’t sure another movie would ever replicate the breathless hype of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” After all, “Endgame” debuted to a record-setting $357 million domestically before the pandemic upended everything, and the epic Marvel sequel was an anomaly as the culmination of 23 interconnected movies. So imagine Bagby’s delight when he witnessed a similar frenzy around “Brand New Day.” Audiences of all ages came dressed up as Spider-Man (and doled out high-fives to fellow cosplayers), buying themed popcorn buckets (that promptly sold out) and snapping photos to document the fun. Somehow, someway, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” eclipsed “Endgame’s” all-time opening weekend record with $360 million in North America. The Tom Holland-led adventure has since generated a heroic $2.078 billion globally.
“I spent a lot of time in the theater to just soak it all in,” Bagby says. “It’s the first time we’ve seen that level of attendance since ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ I always hoped it would happen again. But it’s been a long time.”
For exhibitor Greg Heckmann, marketing director at California-based Maya Cinemas, the late-summer box office mania was reminiscent of pre-pandemic times for another reason: More than one movie was drawing crowds. Even as people showed up en masse for “Brand New Day,” they also turned out for Christopher Nolan’s Greek epic “The Odyssey,” with the two blockbusters fueling the biggest collective weekend in box office history.
“It finally feels like we’re back to 2019,” Heckmann says. “To have the leadup to ‘Spider-Man’ with ‘The Odyssey,’ ‘Toy Story 5,’ ‘Michael,’ ‘Project Hail Mary’ and ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ it’s been a march of billion-dollar movies.”
Finally, after years of naysayers predicting the end times for the theatrical business, movies are back at the center of culture. For the first time in a long time, Bagby isn’t met with blank stares when he’s chatting about the newest releases. With “Michael,” he says cleaning staff barely had time to sanitize between shows because customers were staying to dance through the end credits. Meanwhile “Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” are bringing back monoculture, with everyone excited about the same piece of entertainment.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has seen one or the other — or both,” Bagby says. “There’s a ‘You gotta see it’ factor. And I’ve spoken to people who have seen ‘The Odyssey’ more than once, which is a commitment.” (Nolan’s epic is nearly three hours.)
“The Odyssey” has been a sensation in its own right, with $1.29 billion globally and counting. Much of the fanfare has revolved around Imax, which has racked up $354 million in revenue, but Heckmann credits Nolan for making “The Odyssey” a must-see on the big screen, no matter the format.
“More filmmakers looking to do what Christopher Nolan does will keep cinemas around forever,” says Heckmann.
Thanks to blockbusters of all shapes and sizes, including “Backrooms,” “Obsession,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Toy Story 5,” this summer is the biggest since 2019, with revenues eclipsing $4 billion for just the second time since COVID. Anne Hathaway — the season’s reigning queen, having starred in “Prada,” “The Odyssey,” the sci-fi mystery “The End of Oak Street” and indie musical “Mother Mary” — says the box office resurgence is long overdue.
“I keep hearing people say the movies are back. For me, they never went away. I was just wondering where everybody was,” Hathaway told Variety on the “Oak Street” red carpet. “I’ve met people who went to 3 a.m. screenings of ‘The Odyssey’ in Imax. It’s overwhelming. It’s a joy.”
Cinema operators, having been walloped by the streaming boom, COVID and the strikes, are hoping the ongoing saga of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger won’t derail the industry’s momentum. Exhibitors are worried about fewer movies getting made (that’s what happened after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019), though Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison promises to increase output between the two studios with at least 30 films a year.
“I hope this string of releases really reinforces the value of theatrical,” Heckmann says. “If studios do it right, they can make a lot of money that can’t even begin to equate to streaming.”
Looking ahead to fall, theater owners acknowledge there aren’t any four-quadrant tentpoles on the calendar — but there is volume. Nearly every weekend through Halloween has at least two and as many as five new nationwide releases on schedule.
“There are a lot of cool and original ideas for the fall, which is what everyone wants to see,” says Chris Randleman, chief revenue officer of Texas-based chain Flix Brewhouse.
He’s referring to offerings like Tom Cruise’s comedy “Digger,” “Practical Magic 2” with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, a “Resident Evil” reboot from “Weapons” director Zach Cregger and Colleen Hoover’s “Verity” adaptation led by Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. There’s also Brad Pitt’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast,” Blumhouse’s campy horror movie “Other Mommy” starring Jessica Chastain, DC’s offbeat comic book adaptation “Clayface” and a new take on the “Street Fighter” video game.
“There sure are a great variety of films,” notes Bagby.
If autumn looks hit or miss, exhibitors are bullish about a stacked holiday season. There’s “Focker-in-Law,” with Ariana Grande joining Ben Stiller in the family high jinks, “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping” and Johnny Depp’s “Scrooge” origin story “Ebenezer.” That’s before the one-two punch of “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part III,” which, along with “Jumanji 3,” should power a Christmas for the record books. With several tentpoles on the horizon, yearly domestic revenues could eclipse $10 billion for the first time since the pandemic.
“We’re not judging ourselves in terms of keeping up the summer momentum,” Randleman says. “We’re looking at whether we’re better off than we were last year. Even if it’s a low bar, we are definitely going to exceed last year.”
Angelique Jackson contributed to this report.
