After several high-profile flops, 2023’s movie industry is getting a much-needed boost, courtesy of blonde women, particularly with Taylor Swift's successful concert film, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," and the "Barbie" movie that offered a lifeline to the struggling summer season. Theater owners are indeed relieved to see an influx of viewers filling the seats, yet this surge isn't sufficient to provide the consistent hit of successes needed to fully revive the industry.
The positive outlook was almost guaranteed with "The Eras Tour" advance sales promising a major hit. The concert film raked in roughly $96 million domestically, as per AMC theater chain estimates. The spectacular three-day box office run broke all records for any concert film.
As per Deadline, the overall weekend turnout for theaters in North America escalated to its highest levels since early August, a period when the "Barbie” movie was a crowd puller, alongside "Oppenheimer." Swift’s movie also performed well globally, earning more than $30 million, with impressive returns from Imax screens which, as the CEO stated, are figures "usually reserved for Hollywood blockbusters."
But the tide of success brought by these events is comparable to a fleeting sugar rush, an ephemeral high that fails to address the underlying struggles of the theatrical business.
Enter Brie Larson, the blonde hero a.k.a. Captain Marvel. Her sequel "The Marvels," due to hit screens on November 10, presents another potential upturn for the box office. This might just be the antidote to Disney’s recent box office woes, following underwhelming returns for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" and "Haunted Mansion."
Yet even with a Marvel movie in the lineup, success isn't guaranteed, as see with the lukewarm reception to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Meanwhile, the third "Guardians of the Galaxy" film, however, recorded box-office earnings of $845 million globally, highlighting its role as a shining star in an otherwise shaky year.
Added to these uncertainties, disruptions caused by strikes by writers and actors guilds and subsequent release schedule adjustments have further challenged the studios. While eventual recovery is likely, the past three years have shown that any disruption to movie-going can have long-lasting effects, particularly given the growing abundance of streaming content.
With the success of both “The Eras Tour” and “Barbie,” there is a palpable sense of optimism in distribution circles, serving to remind us that large-scale viewing experiences are still viable. However, it's also clear that not many artists command the same star power as Swift and Beyoncé, further accentuating that these quick victories shouldn't warrant complacency. The road to recuperation for Hollywood is long, and shaking off the challenges won't be as easy as it might seem.
