Think again if you thought a trip to the movies was becoming a dying game. Finally, after two highly challenging years for movie lovers and studio owners alike, the $185 million hit movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” hit theatres pouring some much-needed life back into the almost stagnant movie industry. Mooky Greidinger, the CEO of Cine world Group PLC, aka the second-largest movie theater chain, predicts this movie will be one of the biggest box office successes of the year!.
Covid-19 Brought the Movie Industry to its Knees
Thanks to Covid-19 and all the upheaval that it bought with it, movie ticket sales have been looking rather grim for a long time. Unless, of course, it was for die-hard fans to catch the latest marvel or Spiderman movie; people only seemed to want to venture out to the flicks for a kid’s movie or a decent horror. Then, of course, the press tried to fire up some excitement about films such as The Lost City and Uncharted, but honestly, they didn’t live up to the hype, let alone the cinema and studio owners’ hopes and dreams.
So, things were not looking great for the movie industry. But apparently, that’s all set to change now with the busiest movie season of the year about to unfold. Greidinger believes there is a strong lineup of movie blockbusters on the way, not only for 2022 but also for 2023.
Time for a Shake-Up
He also believes for cinemas to attract more patrons, they need to show a movie at the theatre for a shorter time than just 45 days. He believes that this idea sits well with not just moviemakers but also the studios. The time for a movie to show at theaters was an issue for almost ten years.
No one knew if it should be shorter or longer, but the two years during the Pandemic gave studios some time to experiment. And thanks to Covid-19, they now have their answer. They tried both shorter and longer windows and concluded a movie needs to show for a decent amount of time.
Keep the Movies Coming
If you look at Spider-Man’s tremendous success, the window was 88 days, and it was the most significant electronic sell-through title released ever.
He also feels studios need to get a better grip on how they are running their cinemas if they want to keep ahead of the game. For example, you cant run a great movie such as ‘Black Widow’ or ‘Shang Chi,’ and then there is no other significant release for three weeks.
You can’t run a business like that; you need to keep the movies flowing to keep the seats in the cinemas full. People who love to go to the film expect two or three new ones every week.
Some Great Movies Ahead
So, after the extensive overhaul in the movie industry, get ready to be excited about a range of movies to suit every family member. Doctor Strange is just the beginning on board the express train of upcoming hits such as Top Gun, Jurassic World, Toy Story, Minions, and Thor.
So there you have it.
If you’re partial to going on a movie date and getting comfy with your popcorn, your kids, or your significant other, then going to the movies is still a “thing” and will for the foreseeable future.