Summer is here, and apart from going to the beaches, enjoying the waves and the sun, most people watch movies. Recently released trailers of the upcoming movies have shown a promising cinematic experience for everyone but, not the box office. After the virus outbreak, many states and their governments were forced into placing unusual restrictions to curb the increasing number of cases. This meant various restrictions, from curfews to home isolation, and even in some cases, law enforcement had to patrol the streets to ensure people adhered to lockdown rules.
Pexels | Empty streets to empty cinemas - are cinemas a thing of the past?
Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants Cinema Popcorn
Like many people, the Terminator movie franchise’s lead actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is also tired of relying on home TVs and streaming services to give him the cinematic experience. In a pep rally led by the veteran actor, he stated that he wants the big screens back alongside the crowd of socially-distanced people with the same views.
There is no denying the power that cinema houses hold, which were a more than $11 billion per year business in pre-pandemic times, only to slump after lockdown was imposed the world over. Just like the viewers, Hollywood itself is stuck in a dilemma where on one hand, it has to promote streaming services while on the other, it wants the cinemas to be up and running again.
Pexels | Streaming services like Netflix thrived during the pandemic
Movies to Keep an Eye Out For
As of now, the US is witnessing multiplexes slowly opening and running. The summer season will bring some of the most anticipated movies of 2021, including Walt Disney’s Cruella featuring Emma Stone and the horror sequel, A Quiet Place Part II by Paramount Pictures.
A Fall from Grace
An interesting thing to note is that these movies are not releasing on their original release date. Hollywood had to see unexpected delays due to the pandemic, a similar case as Marvel’s Black Widow. The pandemic also created a major deficit in the revenues of the North American Box Offices. Motion Picture Association reported that the revenues went down to $2.2 billion since last year. It was shocking when comparisons were drawn between the 2019 records, which reported $11.4 billion in revenue.
Pexels | Maybe watching movies at home is the new cinematic experience to get used to
Just like many things, the future of the box office relies on the situation of the pandemic. Can the vaccines change that? Only time will tell.
