What a difference two weeks can make.
For Hollywood and the country at large,the glorious Hot Vax Summereveryone envisioned never quite materialized.
started to turn once again into “Just wait till next year.”
Simu Liu in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’.Marvel Studios
After a year and a half of COVID, Hollywood was still holding out for a hero.
And then it got one.
“Shang-Chisent the summer out on a very high note,” says Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Carnage in ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’.Sony Pictures
“This was uncharted territory for Labor Day weekend, which is typically a very slow weekend.
But now you move on a dime.
MovingVenomup sooner, barely three weeks before the release, that’s unprecedented.”
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in ‘Black Widow’.Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios
That’s the new normal, unfortunately: Nothing is sacred, everything’s written in pencil."
But the tide turned forBlack Widowwith dizzying speed.
It never reached the no.
Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Halloween Kills’.Universal Pictures
“There’s a growing realization that the exclusive theatrical window works,” Sony’s Rothman says.
“It’s not speculation anymore; it’s fact.
The only thing that’s surprising is that it’s surprising to people.”
Daniel Craig in ‘No Time to Die’.MGM
“The studios are thinking long-term, which is why they’re trying to bolster their streaming entities.
Peacock and Paramount+ aren’t in people’s lexicon right now, and they need to change that.
There’s only going to be a handful of these streamers that survive.”
But it’s going to take some time.
Many exhibitors feel the same way.
“And [the movies] will also be provided value when they get to streaming.
“There’s a very strong lineup of terrific films [this fall],” Rothman says.
But as the COVID curve goes, so goes the industry.
Another nationwide uptick in COVID infections could undo everythingShang-Chihas wrought.
Much will also hinge on how wellShang-Chiholds up in the coming weeks.
“As a theater owner, you could’t even exhale,” Bock says.
There is reason for hope.
Experts say the Delta surge isbeginning to level offin the U.S. Or a day,” he adds with a laugh.
