Theaters look to Bond and Black Widow to spark 2021 moviegoing By Lisa Richwine
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past an advertisement for the upcoming James Bond film NO TIME TO DIE whose release has been delayed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at the Christiana Mall in Newark
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Movie theater operators, after a year of dismal ticket sales during the pandemic, are hoping a lineup of superheroes, fighter pilots and cinema’s most famous spy will help them stage a comeback in 2021.
Roughly two-thirds of theaters remain shut in the United States and Canada, normally the world’s largest film market. Box office receipts in 2020 plunged 80% from a year earlier.
LOS ANGELES Movie theatre operators, after a year of dismal ticket sales during the pandemic, are hoping a lineup of superheroes, fighter pilots and cinema s most famous spy will help them stage a comeback in 2021. Roughly two-thirds of theatres remain shut in the United States and Canada, normally the world s largest film market. Box office receipts in 2020 plunged 80% from a year earlier. But theatre owners and industry analysts see reason for optimism as COVID-19 vaccines roll out and James Bond, Black Widow and other heroes star in new blockbusters set to begin lighting up screens in the spring. I think we ll see a lot of improvements throughout 2021, but I do think it will take some time to get there, said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst with BoxOfficePro.com. It won t be an overnight return to normal by any means.
3 Min Read
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros studio will debut all of its 2021 films in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service on the same day, the company said on Thursday, an unprecedented shift that hammered shares of struggling cinema operators.
The movies, which are expected to include “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “The Suicide Squad,” will be available on HBO Max for one month starting on the same day they hit theaters, the studio said in a statement.
“Mortal Kombat,” a new version of “Dune” and a “Matrix” sequel also are scheduled to follow the new release pattern.