It’s been a wild ride for the film industry this past year as most entertainment has made a debut through streaming services as opposed to movie theaters.

Yet, things may be looking up for in-person entertainment as more films return back to theaters moving forward.

The Hollywood Reporter has stated that movie theaters experienced the highest box office revenue over the weekend since the pandemic started. The projected amount of money made in theater screenings was an estimated $25 million now that cinemas in popular places like New York City were able to reopen at 25% capacity.

Now that New York City is allowing 25% of its guests (or 50 people in a theater), there is hope for a steady climb in attendance and revenue. New York is the 2nd biggest moviegoing market in the U.S. behind Los Angeles. And, California could be opening more theaters again soon in the upcoming weeks. At this time, locations in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area have been welcoming visitors back.

Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian has stated, “Perhaps this could be interpreted as a turning point for the industry and a most welcome sign of the big screen recovery in-progress.” Much of this is due to the premiere of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon in theaters over the weekend.

Dergarabedian went on to say, “Fortunately movies this weekend drove solid overall numbers with Raya and the Last Dragon, Chaos Walking and Boogie, along with holdovers, bringing in a collectively impressive box office total of over $25 million. This is arguably the first ‘normal’ weekend since the start of the pandemic, benefiting from a combination of an appealing big screen lineup that drove a strong frame despite only 45 percent of theaters currently open in North America.”

The box office on Christmas weekend didn’t do as well as this past weekend did with only $23.8 million earned with Wonder Woman 1984 opening in theaters. At this time last year in 2020, ticket sales in North America were a combined $101.2 million before revenue was quickly cut in half the following weekend at only $54.8 million. Since then, revenue for theaters and the film industry has been a struggle with multiple places closed.

However, many people have hope that things could get better after the record revenue this weekend during the pandemic. Jeff Goldstein, domestic distribution president at Warner Bros, noted that “It’s going to be slow and steady” as guests continue to return back to theaters. As more films make their ways into theaters, we’ll keep you updated with all the industry information you need to know!

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Have you been to a movie theater recently? Let us know in the comments below!