"MediaTalk" host Mike Reynolds is joined by two in-house movie experts — Wade Holden and Mac Mathews — to explore how the reduced theatrical window has reshaped audience behavior and summer box office outcomes. Traditionally, films enjoyed a 90-day exclusive run in theaters; but post-pandemic, this has been shortened to an average of less than seven weeks. This shift allows studios to capitalize on positive word-of-mouth quickly and reduce advertising costs by transitioning films to streaming platforms sooner. However, it also means that films need to make a significant impact in a shorter timeframe to be deemed successful.

Despite these challenges, certain films managed to outperform expectations. "Lilo and Stitch" and "How to Train Your Dragon" were notable successes, drawing in family audiences with their nostalgic appeal and quality storytelling. On the other hand, Pixar's "Elio" was a box office disappointment, failing to capture the audience's imagination.

Meanwhile, movies based on video games scored big, with "Minecraft" exceeding expectations and contributing to a strong spring box office. This trend of video game adaptations performing well is something studios are eager to leverage, as evidenced by Warner Bros. moving the release of the new "Mortal Kombat" movie to next spring to capitalize on audience interest.

Despite some successes, the summer box office was also affected by superhero fatigue. Films in this genre, which once reliably hit the $1 billion mark, are now performing in the $500 million–$600 million range worldwide. Titles like "Fantastic Four" did not meet expectations, suggesting a potential oversaturation or a shift in audience preferences.

More than ever, this summer proved it is a new world for studios and theater owners. And this fall promises to be more of the same as some of the most highly anticipated movies have the shortest theatrical windows.

More S&P Global content:

• A Box Office Season of Sequels, Side Quests and 'Sinners'

Featured experts:

• Wade Holden, senior research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan

  Mac Mathews, associate director of Editorial, Design and Publishing at S&P Global

Credits:

• Host/Author: Mike Reynolds
• Producer/Editor: Sarah James

www.spglobal.com

www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence