On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Brent Lang details the comprehensive report that he delivered with Rebecca Rubin on the summer box office rebound, and what Hollywood and exhibitors must do to keep it going.
Lang, who is Variety‘s executive editor overseeing all film coverage, emphasizes that it was nice for a change to report on some good news for filmdom. The story features insights and observations from all the major players in theatrical film, including Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman, Disney’s Alan Bergman and Paramount’s Josh Greenstein.
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“The most surprising thing was just the sense of optimism that we heard from people because it’s been missing really since COVID,” Lang says. “There’s been just so much pessimism about the health of Hollywood in general, but in particular the theatrical movie business. And you just can sense the fact that the volume of films is up again, finally after the strike and after COVID really did a number on production, and that many of the films that have resonated with audiences are more unconventional or unexpected hits. They’re not just the same old superhero movies. They’re things like ‘Michael’ and ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Project Hail Mary.’ There’s just this idea that after being relegated to the corner of the cultural conversation, movies are defining the zeitgeist again.”
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The film sector is eager to see the reception this weekend for “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s latest epic for Universal Pictures. Lang predicts that the momentum built up this summer will encourage studios to take more modestly budgeted bets on a wider range of genres, including adult dramas and comedies.
“I think comedy is going to come back. I’m not quite sure why it hasn’t yet, but I think the success of ‘Scary Movie’ shows that there’s still an audience for that,” Lang says. “We like to get scared together. We like to laugh together. I wouldn’t be surprised if comedy stars are also coming from YouTube, from TikTok, from social media, and not from comedy clubs like they did when I was a kid.”
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