Now, with Inside Out doing this massive business, the next positive step that theatrical exhibition can take is hurdling the July goals they've set up for themselves.
We have one massive film in Prime play right now. And one really strong performer still seriously in play (Bad Boys). Next week we get the Quiet Place prequel, which has the potential for a 40-50 million opening (I wonder). And then July hits, with the potential for the multiplex to have a handful of films all playing strongly.
That's what we need: we need Despicable Me to hit big, and have the current crop of films hold well until we get to Twisters and then the Marvel Movie. There's enormous potential for the overall domestic box office to do very well over the next 8 weeks or so. And the biggest aspect of it is having plenty of movies in play for the public to choose from, with several of them performing strongly at the same time.
Imagine the cineplex at the end of July, with all these movies still showing in the theaters, with the additions of Despicable, Twisters, Deadpool. Quiet Place. Inside Out still drawing in kids and moms, and the earlier June films making a couple million a week as well. The theater has the potential to be looking really, really strong by the end of July.
We need these movies to be popular and become hits. It could be a good time for theatrical to make some serious hay, and lay some of the BS media stories away for at least awhile about the demise of audiences and movies.
There's a place for theatrical, it can make studios BILLIONS of dollars. You've got to fill the pipeline with solid films that people HAVE to go see and want to see. The room is there. Every time a movie hits big, if people truly want to take the blinders off, it's obvious that theatrical could still thrive.
I'm cautiously optimistic about the next couple of months. Here's hoping.
