The blockbuster movie makes a comeback this summer

The blockbuster movie makes a comeback this summer

After more than a year of benching its biggest spectacles, Hollywood is ready to dazzle again

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer

May 18, 2021, 2:18 PM

• 7 min read

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After more than a year of benching its biggest spectacles, Hollywood is ready to dazzle again.

From “F9” and “In the Heights” to “The Suicide Squad” and “Black Widow,” there will be a steady stream of blockbusters populating multiplexes across the country for the first time since March 2020. For streaming-weary audiences, the promise of air conditioning, popcorn, soda fountains, 60-foot screens and state-of-the-art sound could be a welcome respite from the living room and virtual watch parties. Not to mention the ever-romantic concept of the shared experience.

For beleaguered movie theaters, it's not a moment too soon.

The modern summer movie season, which runs from May through Labor Day, regularly accounts for over $4 billion in revenue and makes up around 40% of the year’s grosses. Last year, summer earnings were $176 million, down 96% from 2019. Although theaters have been ramping up operations for a while, this summer will prove to be the biggest litmus test so far about whether habits have changed irrevocably during the pandemic.

In some ways, the calendar looks like a do-over of last summer. Many of the most anticipated releases were supposed to come out a year ago, including John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place Part II,” up first on May 28, the big screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning “In the Heights” (June 11), the ninth installment of the “Fast & Furious” series, “F9” (June 25), Marvel’s “Black Widow” (July 9) starring Scarlett Johansson, the Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson action adventure “Jungle Cruise” (July 30) and Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” reboot (Aug. 27).

“In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu had to convince Miranda that it was worth it to wait for a theatrical release. Miranda wanted to get his joyous musical about a bodega owner, Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) and his friends in Washington Heights out to people immediately. But Chu knows just how important a global release is for films with underrepresented casts. Like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “In the Heights” features unknowns in key roles who are poised for a breakout given the right platform.

“We had big dreams for this,” Chu said. “To be able to do it on the biggest scale possible meant so much.”

And it’s not the only blue-sky blockbuster in the bunch. The “Fast & Furious” series has always been about creating a fun theatrical experience and “F9” not only brings back a fan favorite — Sung Kang’s Han — but also literally sends cars into space. It’s expected to be one of the season's biggest hits.

“Whenever I get together with Vin (Diesel) and everybody to make these movies, we’re not even talking about the plot or anything like that, but the feeling. I just remember as a kid in the summer saving enough money to go to the movies to share that experience with a bunch of strangers,” said director Justin Lin. “When that moment hits and everyone’s laughing or cheering together, it is magical.”

Before the pandemic, going to the movies in the summer was a ritual. Audiences made up for last year by screening retro summer hits at drive-ins. Now it's a wild card whether the promise of an “event film” will motivate audiences back to theaters, especially if something is also available to watch at home.

“Space Jam: A New Legacy” director Malcom D. Lee called his film, “The epitome of a popcorn movie.” The sequel to the 1996 Michael Jordan pic finds LeBron James now sharing the screen with classic Looney Toons characters.

Those looking for a more R-rated experience can thank James Gunn, who made movie stars out of the once obscure “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and now is out to do the same for the “misfit, Z-grade supervillains” of “The Suicide Squad.” He had his pick of DC characters and turned down Superman for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and John Cena’s Peacemaker.

Gunn looked to one of his favorite genres for inspiration: The 1960s war caper. Think, “The Dirty Dozen” and “Where Eagles Dare.”

“To reinvigorate that genre just using these crappy supervillains as the protagonists was very appealing to me,” Gunn said.