The movie theater business was one of the worst hit when the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down in 2020, suffering both from lockdowns and ongoing studio delays once theatres were allowed to open again. Based on summer box office numbers, it looks like the industry is recovering well, though it still has a while to go to reach pre-pandemic numbers.
Variety reported the numbers in a feature that also interviewed theater owners for their outlook on the industry. According to Comscore statistics, the total box office take for the summer was $3.027 billion, only 17.5% down on 2019 numbers. The summer earnings showed an improvement of 134.6% compared to the same period last year, and a huge increase on 2020’s lockdown-affected summer.
