The best films of 2021 so far Alerts Clockwise from top left: Judas And The Black Messiah (Photo: Warner Bros.), The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (Image: Netflix), No Sudden Move (Photo: HBO Max), Saint Maud (Photo: A24), The Disciple (Photo: Netflix), In The Heights (Photo: Warner Bros.), Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar (Photo: Lionsgate) Graphic: Natalie Peeples It’s difficult to say, from the limited vantage of our present moment, if movie culture is going to return to the “normal” of a pre-COVID world. Yes, theaters are open for business again, and Hollywood has started flooding them with would-be blockbusters once more, banking on audiences being ready to return to the big screen for some big spectacle. But setting aside the possibility of a new spike and a return to quarantine conditions, the lost year of 2020 also seemed to accelerate changes in distribution strategy that were already happening, just a little slower. Which is to say: There’s a good chance that a future where nearly all movies go to streaming has already arrived. Or maybe not. After a year and a half indoors, maybe the world is primed to give the theatrical experience a major second life.