Maybe they're so high that they thought they saw it twice.

Taking some of the conversation from the Horror thread and some from the Star Wars Grogu movie thread because it's actually more an industry story I think, in that the two most popular movies in the world right now in America and in theaters are directed by YouTubers (Backrooms - $81.7mm in it's first weekend and Obsession $100mm+ in two weekends) where a storied brand and precious IP of Star Wars got destroyed.

The two movies which cost less than $15mm to make by Youtbers are putting more butts in the seats and are more popular with Gen Z than Star Wars and Star Wars is now firmly the GenX/Elder Millennial/Boomer brand.

Think about that in the context of this thread, which would be did Covid kill movie theaters and the experience as we knew it? I think it did.

Edited June 1Jun 1 by Vegas64

Obsession and Backrooms solidify a trend that really took shape at some point between 2024’s Shelby Oaks and last year’s Sorry, Baby. Though, you could maybe argue that 2022’s Skinamarink, directed by YouTuber Kyle Edward Ball, really kicked all of this off. Online video creators are taking big swings at feature films and it’s broadly working. As Steven Zeitchik at Hollywood Reporter declared over the weekend, “The movie business is about to get VidCon-ized.” Though I think that implies that all of these movies are leveraging the internet and, specifically YouTube, the same way.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kane-parsons-backrooms-box-office-obsession-tickets-1236609951/

$430M weekend box office breaks all-time record

https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-spiderman-biggest-box-office-weekend-history-1236825132/

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Power Biggest Collective Weekend in Box Office History With $430 Million

Nature has healed itself from the pandemic?

Prior to this, the top three weekends were led by 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” ($402 million collectively), 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” ($314 million collectively) and 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($313 million collectively). It’s a particularly exciting benchmark for the recently married Tom Holland and Zendaya, who star in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey.”

Having those 2 movies go back to back helped a lot.

As will Dunesday

smaller name films doing work this year and i'm here for it!

but also...dont underestimate the chick flicks contributing to the movie theater renaissance this year. Devil Wears Prada 2 blew the original out of the water in terms of box office in like a week lol. i would expect Practical Magic 2 to do very well also - the first one didn't do great in theater but has developed a massive cult following who are ridiculously excited for the sequel.

Tom Cruise has a big release this year, and Brad Pitt has two...although i've already said i will spoiler myself regarding whether the dog dies at the end of Heart of the Beast b/c if he does that's a BIG FAT NO THANK YOU from me 🖕 hmpf.

and he's not really my jam but i guess you can go ahead and throw Jacob Elordi on the pile too 😄

and yeah, Dune3 is going to be 😲

anyways...YAY!! for movie theaters making it work.

Plus Toy Story 5 went bonanza, even if live action Moana tanked

Also Super Mario Galaxy movie, Project Hail Mary and Michael crushed it too

16 hours ago, Js1 said:

Plus Toy Story 5 went bonanza, even if live action Moana tanked

Also Super Mario Galaxy movie, Project Hail Mary and Michael crushed it too

Banner year for the exhibitors!

So maybe just previous years didn't have the quality or there was pent up demand to go see quality movies? That's the real question. And I think we can put the OP thought to bed of movie theaters being officially dead (suicidal alamo drafthouse notwithstanding).

18 hours ago, Vegas64 said:

$430M weekend box office breaks all-time record

https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-spiderman-biggest-box-office-weekend-history-1236825132/

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Power Biggest Collective Weekend in Box Office History With $430 Million

Nature has healed itself from the pandemic?

Endgame still the GOAT when adjusted for inflation at $466 million domestic opening weekend (2026 dollars)

21 hours ago, Vegas64 said:

$430M weekend box office breaks all-time record

https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/the-odyssey-spiderman-biggest-box-office-weekend-history-1236825132/

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Power Biggest Collective Weekend in Box Office History With $430 Million

Nature has healed itself from the pandemic?

So Movie Theatres aren't dead?

Honestly I knew they'd be fine when Maverick came out and made a Billion dollars.

It was confirmed when Spider-Man No Way Home came out and destroyed the box office(hey Spidey again!)

20 hours ago, Js1 said:

Having those 2 movies go back to back helped a lot.

As will Dunesday

I still don't know how that's gonna work...

Barbieheimer were 2 completely different movies marketed to two completely different demographics with little crossover(I mean some like me saw both, but doubt those first 2 weekends were full of people going back to back to see them).

Doomsday and Dune will be in a very similar space. Not quite exactly the same, but close enough. I'm still surprised one hasn't moved yet tbh...and like with Odyssey and Spiderman given a 2 week berth.

Im def planning to take a day off and go back to back

This bump is gonna be like when your really old dog who you're expecting to pass any day now has that rally making you think "just maybe", only to have to take him in the next day to put him down.

Marvel movies saving theatres is like burying your dog on sacred burial grounds. Sometimes dead is better.

10 minutes ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Marvel movies saving theatres is like burying your dog on sacred burial grounds. Sometimes dead is better.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Toy Story 5

Project Hail Mary

Michael

Super Mario Galaxy

The Odyssey

Soon to be Dune

Not Marvel movies. Marvel's 2 movies this year isn't what is saving theaters.

Edited August 4Aug 4 by Js1

It’s been crowded every Tuesday at my local Cinemark. Old people despite already getting the senior discount, want to save a couple bucks. Also a lot of kids with limited budgets enjoy the discount. A couple near sell outs on films that have no business filling theaters.

Simmons said something insanely out of touch earlier this summer. He believes $1,000 tickets for premium seats 70mm IMAX theater is going to the norm. He equates to court side seats. Yes scalpers are currently a problem, but this is never going to happen regularly. Most people will just wait for a matinee or discount day.

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Toy Story 5

Project Hail Mary

Michael

Super Mario Galaxy

The Odyssey

Soon to be Dune

Not Marvel movies. Marvel's 2 movies this year isn't what is saving theaters.

Yeah I know. Just wanted to make the joke. You could throw in Obsession and Backrooms as completely out of left field surprises

movie theaters officially died 6 years ago. this thread is dumb.

Brought to you by inflation

“Theaters sold an estimated 470.9 million tickets through the first 30 weeks of 2026, compared ⁠with 747.3 million ⁠during the same stretch of 2019, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.”

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-08-05/analysis-the-us-box-office-is-booming-but-fewer-people-are-going-to-the-movies