It was supposed to be a comeback summer for Tinseltown—the COVID pandemic was finally in our rear view, the economy was chugging along nicely, and several huge tentpole movies like “Superman” and “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” were coming down the pike.
But, alas, it was not to be:
As the summer season wraps on Sept. 1, Hollywood is facing the worst-case scenario: May to Labor Day ticket sales in North America barely matched the $3.67 billion collected in 2024, even if the deficit was only $7 million. Piling in on, Universal and Amblin’s rerelease of Steven Spielberg’s 50-year-old Jaws beat two new studio films domestically over Labor Day.
Early hopes that Summer box office grosses could top $4 billion this season have fizzled as insiders bemoan a lack of tentpoles. https://t.co/sdTfc4filW pic.twitter.com/ICjLBzrwNN
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 21, 2025
“I’m very, very nervous for the future,” said one top studio executive, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “There are all these studios and companies making movies. I don’t think there is enough of an audience for them.”
But maybe that's not the problem?
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What’s behind the lack of audience enthusiasm? As Brandon Morse and several of my other colleagues have opined, it can at least partially be blamed on the intense wokeification of storylines, the minimizing of masculine men and hot women, the reliance on endless remakes, and the unwillingness of studios to take risks.
I for one was thrilled when the first "Batman" came out all those years ago, and then "Spiderman"—these were the comic books I grew up reading voraciously. Decades and decades and countless spinoffs later, you’d need a band of wild horses to drag me to another freakin’ superhero movie. Is there nothing else out there?
Meanwhile, the last few times we’ve gone out, the cost is through the roof by the time you’d paid for the candy and the popcorn, and then—is it just me?—the trailers seem to go on far longer than I ever remember them going. You can show up 40 minutes late to a movie these days and still catch the beginning of the flick.
Another obvious issue facing theaters is streaming. With cheap TVs and sound systems and constant output from Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, et cetera et cetera et cetera, it’s easy to say, “Meh, let’s just stay home tonight.”
Maybe, like RedState’s Ward Clark, I’m becoming a curmudgeon—but the box office numbers tell me that we’re far from the only ones out there.
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When Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch” is your biggest-grossing summer hit with around $420 million in domestic box office revenue, you know you’ve got a problem.
Summer Box Office 2025: Admissions +1M To 275M, Disney Wins At $1B, Warner Bros Surges. But Why Isn't Anyone Excited? https://t.co/u0hojLAVGj
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 1, 2025
I forced myself out of the house for the final installment of the “Mission Impossible” series. It was solid, though complicated and maybe not so much fun for viewers not familiar with the oeuvre. We saw a few others, but I can’t say I was routinely yelling to the family this summer, “Get ready! We’re going to the cinema!”
Another issue facing the studios is that, from my observation anyway, it’s not the regular thing to do for teens and young people anymore. When I was growing up, we used to go to the movies all the time, weekend after weekend.
My kids and their cohorts rarely get together for that sort of outing. Maybe it’s different in your town, but that’s what I’m seeing.
Even the Big Guns failed to take off:
The planned release of several franchise titles also encouraged that optimism, including Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World Rebirth,” Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ “Superman,” Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and the Brad Pitt-led “F1 The Movie,” from Apple and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
But while those movies put up big numbers, most weren’t overwhelming. “Jurassic World Rebirth” did worse than any of its predecessors since 2001’s “Jurassic Park III,” and the “Fantastic Four” reboot plummeted after a promising opening weekend.
It would be sad if the movie-going experience became a thing of the past. When I do get off my duff and go, I’m reminded of the truly incredible sound system and viewing experience that the home theater just can’t provide. Don’t even bother to watch “Top Gun: Maverick” unless you’re seeing it in a Dolby-equipped theater on a nice big screen.
But the reality is, to get more moviegoers… they’re simply going to have to start making better movies.
I rest my case:
“Weapons” crawled its way back to the top of the box office during the Labor Day weekend while a 50th anniversary rerelease of “Jaws” also made a splash in theaters, securing the second spot. https://t.co/9eVT5fRBSW
— ABC News (@ABC) September 1, 2025
