Many movies this summer have been super successful, but is the industry itself back?
For the first time since the pandemic, my non-cinephile friends were constantly inviting me to the movies.
A few major post-pandemic releases gathered a large audience: remember when everyone wore pink and top hats in July 2023? This year was the first in a while that featured multiple movies attaining financial and commercial successful consecutively.
Some of these were naturally going to be hits, like superhero flicks Brand New Day, sequels like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Toy Story 5, or Christopher Nolan’s blank-check film The Odyssey. But while expectations were lower for other releases this year, their box office numbers didn’t disappoint.
Project Hail Mary hit over 680 million at the box office and became a commercial hit through word-of-mouth reviews (and of course, Ryan Gosling). Michael hit 1 billion without ever having a chance at failing, and Backrooms, directed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons, soared to success aided by years of anticipation.
Still, the real story lies in the success of movies like Obsession: a $ 750k budget movie directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker. Barker got his start making short films on YouTube. Through word of mouth and critical hype alone, the movie grossed over 500 million dollars, becoming one of the most profitable films of all time.
The success of several movies is arguably made less impressive by their context, such as the success of The Drama—an original A24 film with a heavy subject and boycotts, but led by superstars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. In this pattern, Obsession stands out for how unexpected it was. It’s difficult not to feel optimistic for the future of movies, even with the recent understanding that “movie theaters are dying”.
5 movies have hit over 1 billion dollars at the box office this year (Brand New Day, Micheal, The Odyssey, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Toy Story 5), including R-rated smash hit The Odyssey, which earned over 1.72 billion dollars despite boycotts, and Brand New Day, which became the 3rd-highest grossing movie of the year. This summer hit a record 4.76 billion dollars at the box office, with May, June, July, and August each making over a billion dollars.Â
Despite huge financial wins, fewer people are actually going to the movies. While this summer is better in raw box office dollars than 2019, it’s at least 248 million ticket sales worse, according to NPR. Inflation accounts for the extra money made, along with the lower number of people showing up to theaters.Â
Furthermore, success for a few movies doesn’t translate to success for the movie industry, or the creative forces behind them. A misogynistic campaign against Supergirl led to it losing over 100 million for Warner Bros., despite Superman being one of the most commercially successful and critically adored movies of 2025s. Is God Is, based on a play of the same name, failed to meet its budget in ticket sales, along with I Love Boosters, despite online efforts by director Boots Riley to advertise the film to a larger audience. Independent films, especially films led or directed by women and/or people of color, often struggle both financially and socially, with mass hate campaigns targeted towards actors and directors.
The catalyst for a lot of the movie industry’s failures was the COVID-19 pandemic, and the expansion of streaming that came afterwards. But it’s always worth mentioning—everything was affected by the 2020 quarantine. The idea that movies and entertainment would somehow be spared (especially now, in the age of AI, arts being defunded, political unrest, and an economic recession) is nonsensical, and recent trends show the industry rising up despite the odds.
“Generation Z” is the generation most prevalent at movie theaters, and an entire culture is structured around watching and supporting movies. Letterboxd, film Twitter and TikTok, and blogs have taken over the internet; The Oscars have increased in viewership, and young people are excited for movies again. While the pandemic was a hit to the movie industry, there’s nothing showing that it won’t rise up against the odds.
2026 isn’t over yet, especially with two major projected successes hitting the screens in December: Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Messiah. Smaller budget movies are building excitement and gaining a gen-z audience, too, such as long-awaited Coyote vs. Acme and white-boy-of-the-month Robert Pattinson’s Primetime, along with anticipated sequels The Social Reckoning and Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.Â
There are plenty of opportunities for movies to make a comeback, and there are always movies worth watching. So keep an eye out for any and every trailer that interests you, don’t be scared to go in blind, and make sure to invite your friends to the movies—cinephile or not.