It’s blockbusters\u200b like \u00ab\u00a0F9\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0Black Widow\u00a0\u00bb that theater owners hope will pack the seats again.<\/b>
\nFor Matt Singer, editor, and critic for the website screencrush.com, it’s been possible to work remotely \u2014 just not the same. \u00ab\u00a0When I watch a movie at home, even if it’s great when it’s over, that’s it, the movie is over… And the movies that we’ve been missing over the last 18 months are the kind of movies that are really enhanced by a crowd, everyone cheering together, laughing together, these huge spectacles,\u00a0\u00bb Singer told CBS News’ Dana Jacobson. It’s like \u00ab\u00a0F9\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0Black Widow\u00a0\u00bb next week that theater owners hope will pack the seats again. The latest installment of the \u00ab\u00a0Fast & Furious\u00a0\u00bb franchise had its premiere change three times last year. \u00ab\u00a0F9\u00a0\u00bb earned $70 million when it finally opened last weekend, the biggest opening since \u00ab\u00a0Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker\u00a0\u00bb back in 2019. Singer said F9’s opening is a landmark that theaters are looking for. \u00ab\u00a0It is a spectacle. It is a crazy, wild ride, The cars go to space in this one,\u00a0\u00bb Singer said. \u00ab\u00a0The movies that are like ‘F9,’ the biggest of the big the studios have been holding on to all of them waiting for this moment.\u00a0\u00bb Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor took over the company in May of 2020 when it looked like the lights were going down on theaters everywhere. \u00ab\u00a0We were down more than 90%. And trying to live that long is impossible for any business,\u00a0\u00bb Taylor said. She was forced to declare bankruptcy, giving the company, which caters to cinephiles and foodies, a fresh start with new amenities. \u00ab\u00a0So now you’re allowed to buy your ticket online, you can order your food online, once you come in you sit in your seat and just show your ticket. So we’ve tried to do as many things as we can along the way,\u00a0\u00bb Taylor said. According to analysts, the theater industry is down more than 50% compared to a typical summer season. Taylor said the most difficult part has been getting the word out that theaters are open for business, not that viewing habits have changed. \u00ab\u00a0Nobody’s standing in line for a vaccine to stay home more. I mean, we all want to get out. And a movie theatre is the best place to be able to see, get immersed in storytelling and then be surrounded by people who are having the same experience and same love to be able to laugh, cry, you know, gasp, or whatever together. Nothing beats that. And you don’t get that at home,\u00a0\u00bb Taylor said. Joe Masher, the COO of Bow Tie Cinemas, which operates 15 theaters in the Northeast from Virginia to Connecticut, said the last 18 months has taught the movie industry an important lesson. \u00ab\u00a0What I hope people have learned, everyone in the industry, is to not take this for granted, that taking that away you really got the sense of what you’ve been missing,\u00a0\u00bb Masher said. \u00ab\u00a0It’s amazing how, like when I went to a movie and there was one moment where somebody like, you know, shuffled in their seat really loudly and normally you might be like, quiet down, right? I was like, aaaah.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n