It may finally be happening. They said Covid would close theaters, but people came back. They said superheroes would kill theaters, but people kept coming. But now we’re seeing a new summer trend.
This summer docket has so far been a very real change from previous years for one reason: people aren’t showing up. But why?
What’s On the Menu?
So far this summer, we’ve seen three supposed tent pole movies fail to bring in the crowds. The biggest so far was one of thelast DCEU films,The Flash, followed quickly by Pixar’sElemental, and most recently, the final film in the Harrison Ford series,Indiana Jones and theDial of Destiny.
It’s been a rough few months for studios and theaters as numbers stay low and attendance is following suit. The situation has left people scrambling to figure out what went wrong and whether the algorithms are finally falling apart.
What Are the Reasons?
One of the main reasons for this epic industry setback is what’s being offered.The Flashwas in development hell since 2014, Ezra Miller has made terrible headlines, and the DCEU has become even more irrelevant now that James Gunn has announced his new DCU.
Elementalhas the unfair issue of being directed by Peter Sohn, who is known for the least hyped Pixar film,The Good Dinosaur,and for being marketed asInside Outbut with elements. “Nobody cares if elements have emotions too” seems to be the public reaction. Parents also know they can just wait for thefilm to show up on Disney+.
Related:Elemental Review: A Movie That Seems Afraid of Itself
TheIndiana Jonesfilm and its box office crawl seem to be related to the fact thatCrystal Skullthrew a beloved trilogy to the dogs and that Harrison Ford has become as much of a relic as the maguffins his character searches for. He’s an unquestionable icon, but he’s no longer the draw he once was.
These three films also have the looming specter of streaming. People are willing to wait for a mediocre movie to make it to them instead of wasting their time at a theater. In one of the hottest summers on record, people are happy to sit at home and watch streaming under a humming air conditioner.
The other piece people forget is that summer used to be a time for TV hiatus. It was a bit of a dead zone of reruns and blooper shows. But now,streaming services offer a nonstop pipelineof new shows and movies. So why leave home unless the spectacle is worth it?
How Does This Compare to Prior Years?
When people think of tentpole summer films, they think of Spielberg.JawsandJurassic Parkare the big ones. But what about George Lucas’Star Warsmovies or Roland Emmerich’s epicIndependence Day?
Summer has been the time when studios take most of their biggest ideas with the least amount of risk and hand them to theaters. They hand them over as if to get a “thank you” back for all their hard work.
But for each of those unbelievable winners, there are summer losers.The Lone Ranger,The Adventures of Pluto Nash,and the much-malignedBattlefield Earth. Huge stars, big budgets, dismal openings. It happens every summer, but the question is whether other films can salvage the remains.
Can the Summer Box Office Be Salvaged?
There are three new movies heading to theaters this month that could turn things around:Barbie, Oppenheimer,andMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
These three films could be the savior that studios and theaters are praying for.Barbielooks like a smash, appealing to women and their daughters, many of whom played with the dolls. This film seems to have the same built-in nostalgia factor thatTransformersdid in 2007.
Oppenheimeris the newest Christopher Nolan film. Nolan hasn’t had a dud in years and has proven to be one of Hollywood’s seemingly untouchable directors. He has die-hard fans, but the subject may keep some people away. They may see history as boring and the runtime as colossal. However, Nolan has a habit of bringing people to theaters despite these issues and may prove to be a driving force for those uninterested in Barbie and her pink and yellow world.
Related:Mission Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One Set To Score Franchise Best Opening Weekend
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part OnehasTom Cruise, guns, stunts, and a beautiful track record. Each of theM.I.films has been better than the last, and Cruise refuses to show his age or let anyone tell him there are things he can’t do. It’s his movie, and the man who saved Hollywood withTop Gun: Maverickmay do the same thing for the 2023 summer box office.
This film is the first in a two-part conclusion to the M.I. series (pending Cruise’s mood changes), and the studio is heavily promoting Tom Cruise’s craziest stunt yet. People want to be there to see what the star does next.
This summer has already taught us that studios need to really think about their content and what belongs in a theater. Audiences flock to the reclining seats and popcorn for specific thrills. Unless these movies have a pedigree or immense word of mouth, good luck.
Audiences are fickle and tend to listen to word of mouth, trustworthy or not. That is why these three films are the only hope of salvaging a dead in the water summer.
