Living through a transitional era is weird. Anyone over 20 has the bizarre privilege of watching the analog world melt away in the face of digital tech. As a result, several industries have started to mutate in an attempt to survive the change. One of the industries in question is the movie theater business and Hollywood. With the advent of streaming services and the pandemic intensifying financial hardships, movie theaters are facing a dark hour. Cineworld – the company that owns Regal- has been open about its monetary woes as they inch closer to bankruptcy. It's safe to say that the movie industry needs a hero.
Last weekend, Spider-Man: No Way Home returned to the top of the box office as millions of moviegoers celebrated National Cinema Day and the Labor day weekend. And while National Cinema Day was a success- helping theaters bring in $24 million– Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick's continued success only highlights how sparse this year's offering of summer blockbusters was.
Sony re-released the film with 11 minutes of extra footage that proved to be tantalizing to some comic book fans, bringing in $6 million from 3,935 theaters over the weekend. "No Way Home" is expected to finish the extended holiday weekend on Monday with $7.6 million. Another holdover, Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick," is trailing ever-so-slightly with $5.5 million between Friday and Sunday and an estimated $7 million through Monday. Since ticket sales are close, the final order could change on Monday. In any case, the triumph of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Top Gun: Maverick" highlights the bleak landscape at the box office, considering both of those films are widely available on home entertainment.
