Messenger
After more than a year of benching its biggest spectacles, Hollywood is ready to dazzle again. From “F9” and “In the Heights” to “The Suicide Squad” and “Black Widow,” there will be a steady stream of blockbusters populating multiplexes for the first time since last March. For streaming-weary audiences, the promise of air conditioning, popcorn, soda fountains, 60-foot screens and state-ofthe- art sound could be a welcome respite from the living room. For beleaguered movie theaters, it’s not a moment too soon. The modern summer movie season, which runs from May through Labor Day, regularly accounts for over $4 billion in revenue and makes up around 40% of the year’s grosses. Last year, summer earnings were $176 million, down 96% from 2019. Theaters have been gearing up for this moment and this summer will be an important gauge on whether habits have changed irrevocably during the pandemic. In some ways, the calendar looks like a do-over of last summer.