I am a firm believer in the adage, “What is past is prologue.” The business of motion picture exhibition like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” is walking out a door to a strange new land after having its house survive a tornado. I believe reality should be the rule of the day while at the same time keeping in mind the deep lessons of the past.

My nature is to be a cautious person. In the past, I have contradicted my nature and I have always paid a price for not listening to my gut. While I am pleased about the re-opening of the theaters, I firmly realize that the work that is going to be required to rebuild what has been lost is going to be significant. I firmly believe in the movie-going experience, passionately believe in it. I think that the proclamations that blue skies lie ahead and that movie theaters are back are all wildly optimistic. Things have changed and changed greatly. I genuinely think that within this change lies the deep opportunity for growth and for change that can remedy many of the ills that existed prior to COVID.

This week the Academy Awards nominations were released. While I understand the need to nominate streaming offerings because of theaters being closed, for me it was just sad. I remember fondly the days when the Oscars were an event, a happening. Movies that won the Oscar’s were re-released to pick up the gravy of the public’s renewed curiosity about a movie. Now because of COVID and other pressures, the Oscar’s is a commodity parade that has been severely diminished. I understand why the Academy did what they did, but in the long run they have fallen on their own sword. What they should have done is have a separate award for streaming offerings and suspended the Oscars until that 100 year old engine, the movies came back.

Amidst the optimism regarding the reopening of the theaters, independent owners are having to consider the cost of having their financials audited, producing drawings of their theater (probably to assess ADA compliance) to take part in the Save Our Stages subsidy. Nothing is easy and when it comes to government, it never does what it is supposed to do. I am wondering if much consultant has gone on with groups like NATO. I find it all kind of odd and unwieldy. I get a slight chuckle at the government who, when supposed to provide relief, always serve themselves. At the very least a financial audit can cost a small business anywhere from $5,000 on up. Just applying for assistance is not a cheap undertaking in terms of both money and time.

We are constantly getting mixed messages from both government and industry. While the theaters are opening at a reduced rate of occupancy, I do sense an eagerness on the part of the movie-going audience to get back to movie-going, but I suspect it will be another year to gain any traction. Sometimes it is just prudent to admit things have changed and it will be nearly impossible to recapture what once was. A lot of prognosticators are making comments that the box office will be the same as 1982, $3.4 billion. In 2019 the box office was $11.4 billion according to Comscore.

1982 was also the year of E.T., Tootsie, An Officer and A Gentleman, Rocky 3 and Porky’s. There were 10,000 theaters and 18,000 screens in 1982. In 2019, there were 41,172 screens.

1982 was called the greatest summer of the movies ever and for modern generations, it was a benchmark for movie-going. Here is a list of some of the titles that were released that golden summer;

An Officer and a Gentleman

Annie

Blade Runner

Conan the Barbarian

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Firefox

Poltergeist

Rocky III

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Road Warrior

The Secret of NIMH

The Thing

Tron

Wow, is that lineup or what!

In his official biography aptly named “Total Recall”, action star and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes the claim that 1982 was the greatest summer for movie releases ever, not just because of the fact his debut as Conan the Barbarian came out, but primarily because of the volume of well-made titles released in that summer. Within a period of three weeks, the studios unleashed Conan the Barbarian, Annie, Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and Visiting Hours. What a gift to the movie-going public.

I was a young moviegoer during this summer. Going from theater to theater, one show after the other…every Thursday something wonderful opening. It was glorious. This is this summer and the memories that resounded from it fueled my passion for movie-going.

Frankly, I had rather have it much smaller and as a result, get it right.