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7 Lessons From Hollywood’s Good-Not-Great Summer

Overseas matters more than online controversies, younger moviegoers already want to relive their youth, audiences are hungry for old-school movie stars, and other revelations from this year’s better-than-expected blockbuster season.

franchise summer movies
Franchise flicks either performed as well as hoped or aggressively overperformed. Photo: Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios and Marvel
Scott Mendelson
August 21, 2024

Even though there are still two weeks to go before Labor Day, the summer movie season has essentially ended, and it’s fair to say that Hollywood’s theatrical recovery, which was supposed to start in 2025, may have begun two and a half months ago. Barring a breakout from the long-gestating remake of The Crow this weekend, the domestic box office from May through August was (thus far) $3.34 billion, down 12 percent from 2023’s $3.77 billion but three percent  above 2022’s $3.23 billion.