Remember when we were told streaming had killed the cinema? Turns out, not quite. This summer’s global box office has crossed $4 billion, making it the biggest summer for Hollywood since Covid and only the second time since the pandemic that the number has been reached. The last was 2023, when Barbenheimer briefly made going to the movies everyone’s personality.
This year, the crowds have turned up for a rather eclectic mix. There was Project Hail Mary, The Drama, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Backrooms, Obsession, Toy Story 5, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Odyssey alone has crossed $1.1 billion globally and is now Christopher Nolan’s biggest film as well as the highest-grossing IMAX release ever.
And there’s a fun little pattern here. A lot of these films are giving audiences exactly what they seem to want right now. Nostalgia, comfort and, crucially, happy endings. Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 bring back beloved worlds, while The Drama and The Odyssey leave audiences with something resembling emotional closure. Revolutionary concept, apparently.
Seems like people never stopped wanting the cinema. Streaming can give you convenience, but a packed theatre gives you the collective gasp, laugh, cry and inevitable post-movie group chat. Turns out, watching together is still better.
