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Every year around Christmas, Phoenix Theatres puts all of its chips on one major tentpole
But this holiday season is different. For the first time in more than a decade, excluding the pandemic-stricken 2020, there’s no surefire blockbuster with the potential to gross $1 billion globally to cap off the year.
“You can’t look at the release schedule between now and the end of the year and find one movie that stands out like ‘Avatar’ as the big film,” says Phoenix Theatres owner Cory Jacobson.
“Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom,” the follow-up to 2018’s megahit “Aquaman,” should be that big bet. Yet the sequel lands in theaters on Dec. 22 as a massive question mark.
“The holiday season is on the shoulders of ‘Aquaman,’ and that’s not a good shoulder to put anything on,” says Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “Can it cut through the negative DC noise?”
Movie theater owners, who were walloped by the Hollywood strikes as they were still recovering from the pandemic, have no choice but to accentuate the positive. “With one big film, you must stock a lot of show times to meet demands. If it doesn’t work out, you end up with a lot of empty show times,”
Christmas at the Box Office Hinges on ‘Aquaman 2.’ Movie Theater Owners Are Worried.
Hollywood usually ends the year with at least one surefire blockbuster, but this holiday lacks another "Avatar" at the box office.
variety.com