ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Temperatures are heating up outside, and for Hollywood, studios are looking for some of that heat to transfer to this summer’s box office.
Last summer’s movie season ended up being pretty successful, according to Mitchell Theaters owner Brian Mitchell.
“All in all, last summer and even into the fall was pretty good. The first quarter of this year was definitely slower, but after 'A Minecraft Movie' dropped in April, plus the recent record-breaking Memorial Day weekend, things have picked up pretty nicely. When you get the product out, people definitely show up,” Mitchell said. “And we're hoping for a blockbuster summer this year. We've got the 'How to Train Your Dragon' remake coming out, along with 'F1,' 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' 'Superman,' 'Fantastic 4: First Steps' and 'Freakier Friday,' among many others, so there are a lot of predictions for this summer to be as successful as the summer of 2019, which is wonderful news.”
With Memorial Day weekend having recently passed, Mitchell said the season has started out well so far.
“Like I always say, it's great to have a wide variety of genres represented, and that's definitely what's happening this summer. We've especially got a great selection of family movies, including the 'Lilo & Stitch' remake, which we think is also really exciting since it did really well on its opening weekend,” Mitchell said. “It used to be Memorial Day weekend was the unofficial official start of the summer movie season, but in recent years, that's actually been backed up to the beginning of May, and that's because that's when the big Marvel movies came out in the theatres. This year, 'Thunderbolts*' came out May 2, and it ended up doing really, really well compared to last year when the big release was 'The Fall Guy.' So far though, 'Lilo & Stitch' is an absolutely gangbuster, and we're expecting about the same for 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.' Memorial Day weekend was an absolute blockbuster for us everywhere.”
Mitchell said it is great to see such a good start so far.
“It's great to see such a great start, because it's already been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic had to shut us down, and that was devastating for us, and then came the actors and writers strikes, which was another hit to the industry as a whole, so it's been somewhat slow working to get back to where we were before,” Mitchell said. “We're cautiously optimistic about things evening out and even improving, and we hope to see that since we've got a great bunch of movies in the pipeline. It really feels like we're turning a corner to a positive direction.”
And Mitchell said that momentum should continue beyond the summer.
“I think we'll have a great summer movie season overall, and I think that momentum will continue even into the fall and winter with movies like 'Wicked: For Good' and 'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' among many others,” Mitchell said. “It really looks like the rest of 2025 will be solid for moviegoers, and even the early part of 2026 has some good releases lined up. We've definitely got a much more positive outlook than we have for a while, that's for sure.”
And that momentum, Mitchell continued, should continue through the movie industry as a whole.
“We know the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated streaming options, but studios are starting to more realize people want that communal experience and how movies make more money with a theatrical release. In fact, 'Lilo & Stitch' was supposed to be exclusively on Disney+, but it got shifted to a theatrical release, and I'm sure it'll be available for streaming and video on demand at some point later this year,” Mitchell said. “The studios have realized having a certain schedule helps with that monetization, and I'm glad to see theatrical release windows lengthening. There's a lot of positive momentum in the movie industry nowadays, and going to the movies is starting to be fun again.”
With the wide variety of movies hitting the big screens, Mitchell said he hopes to see a lot of people go out to the movies this summer.
“What's great about this summer, like I said before, is the wide variety. We've got the family movies, and we've also got 'M3GAN 2.0' and another 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' film, so there are some good choices for those who enjoy the more horror genre. I'm personally looking forward to the new 'The Naked Gun' film with Liam Neeson, so there's also some comedy to look forward to, and I know the 'John Wick' spinoff movie 'Ballerina' will be released before too long,” Mitchell said. “It's really just a great variety, and it's great having something for everyone. And it's great having so many family movies, especially since our ticket pricing is reasonable and doesn't break the bank bringing the family to a movie outing. When you have good product out there, people want to enjoy that social experience with others, and we saw that with 'A Minecraft Movie.' Yes, there was unfortunately some property damage at theaters with a couple particular scenes, but we were lucky to escape that for the most part compared to some of the other big movie chains, which definitely went way too far in some places.”
Overall, Mitchell said, he is excited to see how this summer ends up at the movies.
“I want to again remind everyone Mitchell Theaters is with Fandago now in regards to people being able to purchase tickets online, and we're really excited about that. We appreciate all the customers who have come out and watched movies, and we'll continue to do our best to make sure people feel comfortable coming in and watching a movie, and I hope that will continue,” Mitchell said. “If you've got a free afternoon or evening this season and you're looking for something to do, come out and see a movie! We've got a lot of great movies in the pipeline, and I hope everyone enjoys what they end up seeing.”
