Olivia Zimmerman ‘29
Staff Writer
This past weekend I went to see “The Odyssey” for a second time in theaters, and it got me thinking—when was the last time I went back to the theater to see a movie? I can tell you it doesn’t happen often, and it certainly hasn’t happened in the past couple of years. Thinking back, it seems like it’s been a while since we’ve had a good movie year. 2023 brought us “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, two major box office hits, and 2019 brought us Oscar-winning “Parasite”, “La La Land”, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, and several other great films. Are we on the cusp of another great year for cinema?
I think that’s a hard question to answer, because how can we deem a year great if it hasn’t even finished yet? Still, from what we’ve seen so far, I think we’ve been shown promise. In March, “Project Hail Mary” was an immense success at the box office. The movie gave us heart as well as countless visually stunning moments. Following that, there were “Backrooms” and “Obsession”, both films that generated lots of positive discussion and engagement. These movies presented creative depictions on screen that provided something new and different from what we’ve seen in the past. In the summer, “The Odyssey” and “Spiderman: Brand New Day” stole the spotlight for viewers. “The Odyssey” was one of Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious works that provided spectacle unlike any other. “Spiderman: Brand New Day” offered us a mature, emotional look into the beloved character of Spiderman, leaving audiences loving the series even more. For the rest of the year, we have movies like “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping”, “Dune 3”, “Avengers: Doomsday”, and “Werewulf” to look forward to, and while there is no certainty that they will be good, they have cultivated enough attention to be on viewers’ radars.
So what does this all mean? I’d like to think that viewers are gaining more faith in the movie industry. This year, I’ve witnessed much more general excitement in regards to movies, especially in comparison to last year. Summer box office revenue has been recorded as significantly higher than 2025, and many project the overall revenue to be one of the highest since the pre-pandemic years. Still, there is no doubt some movie fatigue (as demonstrated with “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu”), specifically towards formulaic movies that simply feel like another cash grab. Compared to pre-pandemic years, the numbers do not reach nearly as high as they had been. We still have a long way to go in terms of regaining the vigor theaters once perpetuated, but I think we are getting there. Theaters are still recovering from the hit they took from Covid-19 as well as the rise of streaming services, and it is hard to say if they will ever return to their original state of success. That being said, individuals still very much enjoy seeing movies on the big screen, and if movies continue to bring in the amount of people they have been in the past year, their survival seems more than likely.
2026 being considered a “good year” for cinema is ideal in more ways than one. Socially and culturally, I believe we are seeing an impact. The amount of discussion that has been brought about from these movies is refreshing to see, and I think this bodes well for the future of cinema. Along with this, good movies and theater success have a symbiotic relationship: theater sales are higher when movies are good. This shows promise for the movie theater industry. Lastly, in some ways, we are seeing more confidence arise in viewers regarding moviemaking. For so long we have seen expectations set quite low for films, and while this still occurs, I think we are starting to see a change. Perhaps 2026 is ushering in an integral era for filmmakers and audiences alike—one defined by success and confidence in this visual storytelling medium.
Leave a Reply