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(No Way Homehas already made $750 million globally after barely a week in theaters.)
Superhero-movie fans, of course, were happy.
Theater owners, whove had arough couple of years, were definitely happy.
Still, some were (understandably) worried.
(There were even reports of theaters informing ticket-holders they werecanceling screeningsofNightmare Alleyto make room for more showings ofSpider-Man.
Thats a bit on the nose there, reality.)
The doomsayers should relax, at least for a minute.
I gaveSpider-Mana lousy review, but even Im happy to see it doing so well.
A lot of movie theaters just had the best weekend in their histories.
For those of us whove been hoping for those theaters survival, that is legitimately good news.
But a success like this wasnecessary the equivalent of an antibody treatment to combat a deadly disease.
And on a micro level, there are glimmers of hope all over the cinematic landscape.
Often it was repertory screenings of beloved classics likeDo the Right ThingorNorth by Northwestor John CarpentersThe Thing.
Discussions with theater managers and programmers confirmed this observation.
I call them comfort movies or audience pictures familiar titles people know, he says.
Theyre itching to get back into the cinema and see classics.
Theres no controversy over whetherRear Windowis fun or not!
They know theyre going to have a good time.
In troubled times, were all drawn to the comforts of the familiar.
Meanwhile, the new-release landscape has been more uneven.
But heres why Im more optimistic than Ive been in a long time.
AsIve written before, that sort of thinking has consequences beyond whether your local multiplex survives or not.
Making ourselves slaves to solitude and convenience has all sorts of ramifications for our cultural and social well-being.
Were just pod people jacked into the Matrix.
To be clear, this isnt about whether we can or should enjoy movies at home.
Of course we can!
Its about whether movies should be enjoyedonlyat home.
Because if theaters die out, thats what were getting whether we like it or not.
And cinema cannot survive without theaters.
Without them, it becomes TV, a completely different art form.
Its not like the people who foresaw a future without theaters were going around trying to bankrupt cinemas.
Maybe because losing things sometimes makes you appreciate them.
It turns out people like going to the movies.
And they like movie theaters.
AndNo Way Homes numbers are the most obvious example of this.
Again,No Way Homemade$260 million, and this wasnt even a holiday weekend.
Plus there was a new variant tearing its way through the countrys biggest theatrical markets.
Theres still obviously a lot of work to be done.
No year is a monolith, and this one is even less so.
(And lets not even get into how muchthe insane, constantly shifting release schedule has cost studios.)
Still, all of these things can be true at once.
A lot of people who would like to go to theaters remain reluctant to do so.
It may also explain why a period noir likeNightmare Alleywas unlikely to set the box office on fire.
And families have yet to return to theaters at the rates they once attended.
Its an important victory in the continuing battle to save all movies.
