Tom Cruise takes on what may be his final \u201cMission: Impossible,\u201d a new Superman will wear the red cape, and the record-setting \u201cAvatar\u201d sci-fi series will return to movie theaters this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those films and more are giving cinema operators hope that the long recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will continue in 2025. Five years after the start of the health crisis, moviegoing has not fully rebounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Box office receipts totalled $8.6 billion last year in the United States and Canada, 25% below the pre-pandemic heights of $11.4 billion in 2019.
The film industry was disrupted again in 2023 when Hollywood writers and actors went on strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat complex matrix of filmmaking, where everyone wants the best talent and the best actors and the best sets, it takes a long time to get that running again,\u201d said Tim Richards, founder and CEO of Europe\u2019s Vue Cinemas. \u201c2025 is going to feel the tail end of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Top names in the movie business will gather at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas early next month to talk about the state of the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference draws executives from Hollywood studios and multiplex operators such as AMC Entertainment (AMC.N), opens new tab, Cinemark (CNK.N), opens new tab and Cineworld (CINE.D), opens new tab as well as owners of single theaters in small towns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Academy Awards this month, \u201cAnora\u201d filmmaker and best director winner Sean Baker delivered a \u201cbattle cry\u201d for filmmakers, distributors and audiences to support theaters. \u201cThe theater-going experience is under threat,\u201d he said, noting that the number of screens shrunk during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t reverse this trend, we\u2019ll be losing a vital part of our culture,\u201d Baker added.
Shawn Robbins, Director of Movie Analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory, said the movie business was adjusting to \u201ca new normal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvent movies are increasingly drivers of the business,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cThere\u2019s even more weight on their shoulders in terms of box office dollars.\u201d
Moviegoers still turn out for big-budget films, Robbins said, but have shown they are happy to wait to watch others at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is very common knowledge that a lot of movies will be available to stream within three to eight weeks, whereas it used to be a minimum of three months,\u201d he said.
\u2018AVATAR\u2019 AS TIPPING POINT?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the big hitters coming to theaters this year are \u201cMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,\u201d a movie that may be Cruise\u2019s last appearance in the long-running action franchise. \u201cOne last time,\u201d he says in the trailer. The film will debut over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend in May, along with Walt Disney\u2019s (DIS.N), opens new tab live-action version of animated classic \u201cLilo & Stitch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brad Pitt plays a Formula 1 driver in the June release \u201cF1,\u201d and in July, Warner Bros (WBD.O), opens new tab will release its new \u201cSuperman\u201d movie directed by \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy\u201d filmmaker James Gunn and starring David Corenswet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From Marvel, the anti-hero team \u201cThunderbolts\u201d will kick off the summer moviegoing season in early May, followed by \u201cThe Fantastic Four\u201d in late July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around the November and December holidays, offerings include the second part of musical box office phenomenon \u201cWicked,\u201d animated sequel \u201cZootopia 2\u201d and \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash,\u201d the third film in James Cameron\u2019s \u201cAvatar\u201d series. The first \u201cAvatar\u201d is the highest-grossing movie of all time, and the second movie ranks third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robbins projected 2025 would end with a slight increase in domestic box office receipts compared with last year, \u201cmaybe flirting with $9 billion.\u201d He said it is unclear when ticket sales will return to pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richards said he believed the new \u201cAvatar\u201d would kick off \u201can extraordinary three to five years\u201d for cinemas. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see (Avatar) as the tipping point,\u201d Richards said. \u201c2026 has got an extraordinary number of great films.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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