It’s no secret the movie theater industry is struggling, but there are some glimmers of hope.
Since the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic, attendance at movie theaters has declined. This has led to decreased box office returns and more movies opting for streaming.
It didn’t feel like that long ago that seeing a film in theaters was considered a necessity. This happened as recently as 2019 when Avengers: Endgame and The Rise of Skywalker were in theaters.
As someone who grew up thoroughly enjoying the cinematic experience, this trend has been a depressing one to absorb. Still, movie theaters have shown there is a trend that could potentially reverse this: carry older movies.
A Case Study: Revenge of the Sith
A couple of weeks ago, I made my way to the local Cinemark to for a rerun of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It was a blast to see the film on the big screen again, providing a new view of the film that I hadn’t had in 20 years.
Many agreed as Revenge of the Sith had an extremely successful week in the theaters, pulling in over $34.1 million domestically and $21.5 million internationally from April 21 to May 3, 2025.
What’s more impressive is that made it the second-highest grossing film during its first weekend back in theaters. It drew in $25.2 million during its first weekend, putting it behind Sinners‘ $45 million weekend.
Needless to say, Revenge of the Sith‘s return to theaters was a bona fide success, blazing a trail for other older films.
That said, there are a few caveats to discuss.
First, not many franchises have the drawing power that Star Wars has. Especially in a time where fans are craving for the franchise’s past, it’s a given that it will draw big numbers.
Furthermore, it’s one-week run time forced people to take advantage of this unique opportunity. The fear of missing out is real and Disney absolutely tapped into that with Revenge of the Sith.
Still, if the Revenge of the Sith rerun proved anything, it’s that there is an appetite to see older movies return to theaters.
This is not only true for nostalgia’s sake, but also for the host of movies that came before a person’s time.
Reliving The Past Through Film
I was born in 1991 and my first film in theaters was 1994’s The Lion King. It wasn’t until 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that I fully appreciated the cinematic experience.
I bring this up to highlight that there are plenty of movies from prior to my lifetime that I never saw in theaters. This is even true for movies that I may have been too young to see originally in theaters.
I would love to see movies such as The Godfather, Back to the Future, or The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen because I never got the chance to see them there originally.
I could extend that to movies like Forrest Gump or Good Will Hunting ran when I was too young to see them. This could also apply to films like Inglourious Basterds or Inception that I just missed the first time around.
I don’t think it’s just me. I think there may be others out there willing to spend money to see a film in theaters for the first time.
The cinematic experience is the intended viewing option for a film. In this day and age, that’s not always the case, but for many films from the past, it is.
Sure, there’s a lot of convenience in seeing a movie at home or streaming on the go. Everyone should enjoy films the way they want to.
That said, there still seems to be an audience that wants to view these films at least once in their intended format. Revenge of the Sith showed that people will show up if given the chance.
Counterprogramming For The Win
The good news here is many theaters are tapping into this approach as some chains host monthly retro movies in theaters. There are also many small theaters that are purely dedicated to showing older films.
What needs to be done more often, however, is for a concentrated effort from the studio and theater to bring the film to movie goers. This is where Revenge of the Sith succeeded.
Disney brought back Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, to introduce the film while many theaters offered merchandise to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the movie. That seems to be what made the difference.
This is all worth the effort because it’s not only about reshowing a retro film. It’s more about getting people into the theaters.
Sometimes, smart marketing is about attracting potential customers for one product only to have them stay for several others. That is the idea here with using retro films.
It can remind viewers of what they miss about movie theaters and hopefully attract them to what else is showing.
That seemed to be the idea behind 2023’s Barbenheimer. Both Oppenheimer and Barbie debuted in theaters during the summer of 2023. These films are starkly different but tapped into what’s called counterprogramming.
This is a method where two distinctly different films run simultaneously, drawing in audiences that still want to go to the movies but not see the other film.
Both of these movies successfully drew fans to the theaters to see one or both of the films. Many critics have labeled it a success and proof that studios can still use counterprogramming effectively.
While this approach could look different with retro movies, the similar idea of creating a buzz around going to the theater can jumpstart current films.
People come for a retro film only to see a long list of current movies that may appeal to them. Had they never came, they might not have noticed those films to begin with.
It’s not foolproof, but it could help a struggling industry. Add some strategic thinking and you could generate some creative ideas using both.
That said, I think it has to start with retro films to get the ball rolling.
That’s A Wrap
The COVID 19 Pandemic really did seem to speed up the death of movie theaters in a similar way as the Great Recession did for DVD sales.
It’s important to note that these trends, both with the theater and DVDs, were already in motion prior to the life-changing events. Those events only just sped up those demises.
That said, movie theaters aren’t quite dead yet, but they do seem to be on life support. An injection of nostalgia could do the trick and remind people of what was fun about the movies to begin with.
Sure, you can’t appease everyone and some might just want to stay home. That’s OK.
Still, there seems to be enough people wanting to go back but don’t have a reason to. Retro movies can get them back there and hopefully open their eyes to what else is going on.
There is still a place in this world for movie theaters. Hopefully, we see more of the success of Revenge of the Sith duplicated with other movies.
What about you? Do you miss going to the movie theaters? What film would you go back to the theaters to see? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
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