Recent weeks have seen several movies, including the Stephen Spielberg classic Jaws, representing an important change in how audiences go to the multiplex. With all kinds of movies coming to theaters in September, it remains to be seen how the box office will respond to this trend with new movies like The Long Walk and Him.

It is no secret that this year has seen some disconcerting theatrical trends. No films from Marvel and DC reached even $700 million this year, which has not happened since 2011. While some other films, like A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Sтιтch, have done well, audiences have tended to be willing to wait for streaming far more often.

The state of theatrical movies is in flux. For every movie that earns a billion-dollar box office, several more fail to recoup their budgets. With costs increasing in daily life, and some theatres doing a poor job in maintaining the theatrical experience, the way that theatres are viewed has changed, which is reflected in some recent box office receipts.

Jaws And KPop Demon Hunters Continue Strong Recent Showings For Re-Releases

Jaws was re-released in theaters this past weekend in celebration of its 50th anniversary, where it took second place at the box office behind Weapons with a gross of $8.2 million.

This is a strong performance for the 1975 film, but what is especially notable about its success is that it was able to make significantly more money than two big releases that had just opened.

Jaws is available on disc, on digital, and on streaming, yet many audiences chose to go see it in the cinema rather than Jay Roach’s new comedy. The Roses is a theatrical exclusive, is decently reviewed, and features an all-star cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. Still, The Roses disappointed, debuting in fifth place with only $6.2 million.

The Roses was not the only big release this week. Caught Stealing, the latest film from celebrated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, was well-liked, holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%, and has a strong cast, including Austin Butler, Matt Smith, and Zoë Kravitz. Despite this, it only earned $7.9 million, putting it in third place for the weekend.

This follows the mᴀssive theatrical success that KPop Demon Hunters found the previous weekend, where it played in theatres only on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, 24th. Despite not playing even for a full weekend, this sing-along release grossed $18 million, a much higher number than the theatrical exclusive Honey Don’t!, which opened the same weekend.

With a re-release of Hamilton playing in theaters this coming week, and Toy Story the week following, existing films will continue to play well through the rest of the year. While Hamilton is extremely unlikely to outgross this week’s other big opener, The Conjuring: Last Rites, it will do well, further testifying to the importance of re-releases for cinemas.

Re-Releases Outgrossing Some New Movies Suggests What Audiences Want In 2025

The theatrical experience has morphed and changed throughout history. Initially, it was the only way to see movies, but the advent of home video changed how media could be consumed. Still, there was a significant gap of time between playing in cinemas and being available at home, making each release into a very different, significant event.

Now, with the volume of content generated and a much quicker pipeline to watching at home, the cultural relationship to the cinema has changed. Where visiting the multiplex used to be more vital for culturally relevant, high-quality entertainment, now just as much resonant product is made available directly at home.

Shows are higher quality than ever before, and movies are quickly available. In recent years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, streamers and manufacturers alike trained audiences to expect a comparable experience at home, both with higher-quality, big-screen TVs and a consistent deluge of original new content sent directly to Netflix, Disney+, or another service.

Still, the theater is a special place and is heavily romanticized. Seeing films on the biggest screen possible, sitting in an enormous room with other film lovers while eating ʙuттery popcorn and drinking icy soda remains a beloved experience. However, it has also grown prohibitively expensive, all while general audiences have grown less respectful of the experience.

People still want to go to the cinemas, but they must be incentivized. Knowing a movie well and being aware of exactly how much it will resonate with a person beforehand has helped to make these re-releases successful. In addition, these events are attended by others who appreciate the film, often resulting in less talking and fewer distractions.

This seemed to be the case for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which received a huge re-release in 2024. Appreciation for the 1999 movie has grown in the years since, and the re-release was able to garner earnings of more than $19 million worldwide.

Earlier this year, following that success, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was re-released in cinemas, where it made a whopping $42 million. While that film is more liked than its predecessor, this increased gross also attests to how popular re-releases have been this year.

Granted, re-releases are not a new thing this year, but they have grown more popular. тιтanic‘s 25th anniversary re-release from 2023 is the highest-grossing of the bunch, earning a total $70 million worldwide, with the majority coming from international markets.

There are other kinds of films that are still able to do well, but even they have seen some evolution to match what audiences want, which can vary from movie to movie. A Minecraft Movie was a huge success in theaters, but much of that came from the memeability of the film, especially surrounding the viral Chicken Jockey moment.

To avoid attendees destroying theaters, many chains offered dedicated Chicken Jockey Screenings for the film, which encouraged the raucous behavior of throwing popcorn, making messes, and screaming. Despite making more work for employees, this seemed to be the most effective way to bring audiences in and make the movie feel like an event.

Movies like Jaws remain highly celebrated, and seeing them on the big screen promises a guaranteed worthwhile time at the movies. New releases like Honey Don’t! and Caught Stealing are much more of a gamble. Unless the cinema becomes more affordable, it is difficult to see atтιтudes about going to theaters changing anytime soon.