Are people going back to the movies?: Summer 2024 box office in review

Graphic by Emma Johnson

Whether you abused your AMC A-List membership or kept yourself glued to the couch until Netflix asked, “Are you still watching?,” this summer’s box office buzz was inescapable. 

There have been quite a few “flops” like “Borderlands,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1.” The reviews towards the final outcome of this summer’s box office fall to both sides. 

“Apart from the COVID years, the last time a summer box office was this low was in 2005,” said Dodge College associate professor Travis Knox. “And that is not factoring in inflation. Deadline seems way too optimistic, declaring that box office moviegoing is back on track.”

After the once-in-a-lifetime madness that was Barbenheimer last summer — the two films grossing over $2 billion combined — initial predictions for this year's summer box office were not glowing. However, some big-name stars, nostalgia and surprise marketing plans sent more people than anticipated to the theater. 

The Panther spoke to Knox, fellow Dodge College associate professor Russell Schwartz and creative producing student Cambria Vos to see what the summer ticket sales looked like through their eyes — the good and the bad. 

The biggest disappointment of the box office this summer to Knox was David Leitch and Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy.” The film garnered an A- CinemaScore and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the reviews just weren’t enough.

“‘The Fall Guy’ had an amazing trailer,” Knox told The Panther. “But when it was released, no one came. The fact that a great movie like that couldn’t draw people to the theaters shows that the box office hasn’t fully recovered. Unfortunately, it also reinforces the importance of having a well-known brand. No one under 40 had heard of the old ‘80s series and the revenue reflected this.”

“Inside Out 2” did the opposite, exceeding even the high box office predictions following the success of the first film. The sequel follows teenager Riley — now 13 — experiencing the new personified emotions of puberty while attending ice hockey camp. The film is Pixar’s first major release post-pandemic and is now their highest-grossing film of all time, grossing $650 million domestically and over $1.6 billion worldwide — beating out “Frozen II” as the highest animated feature ever released. If that isn’t impressive enough, it is also now ranked the ninth highest-grossing film of all time. 

“There is a strong sense of nostalgia, especially for those who were young when the original movie came out,” said Knox. “This group, who are now of college age, is experiencing record-high levels of anxiety, something that was certainly taken into consideration when the studio introduced new emotions in the movie.”

Schwartz thinks Disney is genius. 

“The age change of the main character from the first film to the second was so refreshing yet so relatable,” said Schwartz. “Not only to tweens themselves but to parents with or without children. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if ‘Inside Out 3’ features our heroine at 18.”

Vos is enjoying the unique marketing tactics that were employed over the summer for films like “Longlegs,” “Twisters” and “Alien: Romulus.”

“I remember going to the theater and seeing people on the floor with the Xenomorph face huggers on their faces,” Vos said. “I think these tactics are brilliant, just as long as the audience member can somewhat identify what movie it is for. I’ve seen some marketing strategies so vague I don’t even know what I am looking at.”

Osgood Perkins, son of iconic “Psycho” actor Anthony Perkins, brought Nicolas Cage back to the big screen as the titular character in the NEON indie film “Longlegs.” Their marketing team went viral after posting a video with the sound of lead actress Maika Monroe’s rapid heartbeat the first time she saw Cage as the titular serial killer. Her heart rate hit 170 bpm. 

“It is amazing that even when he is not in the campaign of ‘Longlegs,’ Nicolas Cage has such a strong following,” Schwartz said.

It may come as no surprise that what Knox coined “the exhaustively endless Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman marketing machine” has made a positive impact on box office numbers this summer. In an unexpected marketing decision, Blake Lively — the star of the film “It Ends With Us” — had Reynolds, Jackman and Reynolds’ mother interview her co-star Brandon Sklenar for the film. Whether you believe this is an act of genius or a weird crossover, this decision — in tandem with the popularity of the “It Ends With Us” novel on BookTok — put more butts in seats than anticipated.

“Every platform has a fan base and BookTok wields enormous sway over its followers,” said Schwartz. “It’s the latest version of Oprah and Reese Witherspoon. Anything that creates a community is a great thing.”

Graphic by Sukhman Sahota

It would be criminal not to mention “Glen Powell Summer” in a summer box office recap. It seems at every turn a Glen Powell film is in theaters, a new project is announced, or a shirtless picture of him and his dog is posted. However, Vos, Knox and Schwartz all fall on the not-so-fond side. 

“Before all the Glen Powell supporters come to attack me, I think he is a great entertainer…” Vos said. “However, I don’t see him being the next Tom Cruise. He is currently a big name, which does bring some box office pull, but I think he is built for romantic comedies.”

Schwartz has some career advice for Powell.

“Glen played a supporting character to Sydney Sweeney, a supporting character to a cyclone and a supporting character to director Richard Linklater in ‘Hit Man,’” said Schwartz. “He has one snarky smile and it sorta stops right there. However, if he starts picking more risky projects and takes control of his career, he could become a solid talent.”

The internet loves to make jokes like “cinema is so back” or “we have never been more back than we are now” when reviewing a good film or even just when something positive is happening in the industry. Based on this summer’s box office, is cinema actually back?

“Unfortunately, I don’t think people are (going to the theater) as much,” said Vos. “A lot of people wait to see movies on streaming, especially if they don’t want to waste the money on a potentially bad movie.”

Schwartz does think that finally, in a post-COVID-19 world, people are starting to go out again — with going to the movies being on the cheaper end of entertainment. Yet, Schwartz has a fear — that many creatives in the industry share — that the film industry’s focus on money money money may be causing more harm than good. 

“The theatrical business is now, more than ever, a tentpole business,” said Schwartz. “I fear that indie films in theaters are not coming back outside a few Academy qualifiers, and that is a scary thing.”

For another story on Powell, read fellow fan and staff writer Ben Price’s opinion piece on “Glen Powell Summer” on The Panther’s website.