Cinema is Back On Track Thanks to a Series of Blockbusters
The recent events in the world did induce fears that online streaming could spell the end of cinemas forever. With film studios offering new releases digitally, many wondered whether audiences would return to cinemas once the world reopened.
They needn’t have worried.
Although cinemas endured a torrid time while all the venues were closed for months, once the lockdown was lifted, the audiences returned in their droves, encouraged by a stream of blockbusters on the silver screen.
No Time to Die
It’s impossible to talk about the biggest films of 2021 without turning immediately to James Bond. No Time to Die was the final instalment from Daniel Craig, and the box office figures confirmed Britain’s love of Bond.
Having raked in more than $500 million in its first month, No Time to Die is the fourth most successful Bond film of all time. It also holds the record for being the Bond film with the highest takings on its opening weekend – no mean feat when you consider that not everyone has returned to cinemas just yet.
Perhaps the success of the latest Bond film shouldn’t have been a big surprise because Daniel Craig has proven to be a big hit in the role. Research from online casino site, PartyCasino, revealed that Craig was the most popular Bond of all the seven actors who have played him. And if you were wondering what three films were above No Time to Die in the best Bond films of all time – they were all Daniel Craig Bond films too!
Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage
Superhero films always capture the public’s imagination, and when you combine this with the box office pull of Tom Hardy, it’s a recipe for big money.
Hardy returned in Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, and fans were ready and waiting. Second only to James Bond in its opening weekend for 2021, Venom 2 has now grossed more than $400 million worldwide.
Venom is a curious character, appearing as the villain in the Spiderman franchise but later becomes an antihero when he features on his own. This arc is similar to Deadpool, who was originally a baddie in the Marvel Universe before adopting the funny guy persona that Ryan Reynolds made famous.
Sony will undoubtedly be keen to bring back the black-suited Hardy to capitalise on the public’s enthusiasm.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Not the most well-known of all the Marvel universe characters, Shang-Chi has proven to be one of the surprise success stories of 2021. Also, from Marvel Studios, Black Widow did relatively well in the summer. Still, a simultaneous release on streaming services plus a very public legal scrap with star Scarlett Johansson didn’t help its figures.
There have been no such problems for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which was released exclusively in cinemas. Taking $75 million on its opening weekend, it stormed to the top of the charts and continued to pull in numbers in the following weeks.
Marvel may have been wavering about whether to release future films on Disney Plus at the same time as the cinema. However, Shang-Chi has proven that audiences still have the appetite to visit theatres for their superhero fix.