Theaters look to Bond and Black Widow to spark 2021 moviegoing

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 per cent 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.”

The timing of any rebound is uncertain, as debut dates could change. Hollywood executives have repeatedly shuffled their schedules as they try to judge when the pandemic will fade. Initial excitement over vaccines has been tempered by slow distribution. And audiences will have more choices to stream at home.

Currently, studios plan to send theatres a heavy lineup of big-budget movies that were yanked from the 2020 schedule.

James Bond thriller “No Time to Die,” from MGM and Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures, is scheduled for April. “Black Widow,” from Walt Disney Co’s Marvel Studios, and Universal’s new “Fast & Furious” installment are set for May.

Anticipated summer movies include “Top Gun: Maverick” from ViacomCBS Inc’s Paramount Pictures, Universal’s animated “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

The theatre business was buoyed by the turnout for “Wonder Woman 1984” over the Christmas holiday. While far short of a normal action movie debut, ticket sales for the movie from AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros. came in higher than expected, even though US audiences could stream the film at home on HBO Max.

Warner Bros. plans the same dual-release strategy in 2021 for 17 films, including a “Dune” remake and “Godzilla vs. Kong.”