Half a billion dollars. That’s the projected global haul for Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning over Memorial Day weekend—and no, it’s not a fluke. It’s the box office throwing a middle finger to the idea that theaters are dead. But don’t get it twisted. This isn’t about some grand return to form. It’s about mutation. Evolution. Theaters are turning into something else entirely—something bigger, louder, and a hell of a lot more expensive.
You can almost smell the popcorn butter and existential dread. Because sure, people love to talk a big game about how they want originality, new stories, fresh voices. But when push comes to shove? They show up for comfort food—drenched in nostalgia and wrapped in the glossy spectacle of premium formats. IMAX, Dolby, 4DX, ScreenX—whatever acronym promises the loudest, most retina-burning experience. That’s the stuff bringing people back.
And you can see it in the numbers. Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s historical horror triumph, didn’t just win because it was original—it won because it looked like a goddamn event. Shot on 70mm and IMAX, it raked in nearly half its opening weekend from premium large formats. This wasn’t some arthouse sleeper. This was a statement. A film that practically screamed, “See me on the biggest screen you can find, or don’t bother.”
Same goes for Mission: Impossible. Tom Cruise could’ve dropped this thing on a streaming service and collected his check, but no—this was built for size. Built for danger. Built for the kind of high-wire lunacy that demands every inch of a 4-story screen. It’s legacy IP with balls. And that still sells. But here’s the catch: only if the audience wants it. Not every franchise entry gets the same warm welcome. Fast X floundered. But don’t lump in Dune: Part Two—that movie crushed it in IMAX, pulling in over $145 million globally in that format alone. Premium formats don’t save a bad movie. They amplify a good one. They’re multipliers, not miracle workers.
What’s actually happening here is a slow, painful stratification. The theatrical middle class is disappearing. You’ve got giant, bloated tentpoles playing exclusively in PLF auditoriums… and then you’ve got everything else fighting for scraps—or heading straight to streaming. “Niche” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Theaters aren’t going boutique. They’re going full gladiator arena. Fewer screens, higher stakes, and tickets that cost more than some people’s internet bills.
And let’s not pretend originality is dead. It’s not. It’s just buried under a mountain of bad trailers and lazy marketing. When something original is sold well—when it feels urgent, different, and cinematic—it can break through. Again: Sinners. A film rooted in Black history, Jim Crow horror, and Coogler’s signature punch. It had a point of view, and more importantly, it had spectacle. You need both. One without the other is just streaming filler.
Meanwhile, franchises are starting to sag. Audiences aren’t dumb. They’re picky. The Marvel machine is sputtering. Fantastic Beasts is done. The old model—“just slap a brand name on it and call it a day”—is collapsing under its own weight. The stuff that still works? It works because it feels earned. Because it promises something you can’t replicate on your living room couch while checking your email.
That’s the thing: it’s not about movies anymore—it’s about experiences. Regal, AMC, and Cinemark know it. That’s why they’re pumping $2.2 billion into upgrading their theaters. Giant screens. Laser projectors. Recliners with cup holders that probably cost more than your last Uber. They’re betting big on the idea that if people are going to leave their house, the movie better feel like a ride.
So yeah, we’re staring down a projected half-billion dollar weekend at the box office. But don’t call it a comeback. Call it a recalibration. Theaters aren’t crawling back to life. They’re shedding their old skin and becoming something leaner, meaner, and entirely focused on the stuff that hits. Event films. Format-first experiences. Legacy brands that still draw blood. And every now and then, if we’re lucky, something like Sinners sneaks through the cracks—new, raw, and just big enough to make a scene.
Because if there’s one thing the audience has made clear, it’s this: they’ll show up… but only if you give them a reason to.
Hollywood After Dark 