Theater reopenings give hope to Hollywood

The popcorn is popped and the doors have reopened at theaters in Southern California for the first weekend in a year, giving Hollywood some confidence that moviegoing is bouncing back.

Major studios are still waiting to see just how eager people are to return to cinemas. The top movie this weekend is still The Walt Disney Co.’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” an animated film that was released two weeks ago and is also available to at-home audiences for $30 on Disney+.

Still, a year after a neartotal shutdown of the business, the industry is looking like it’s closer to a strong return. After Los Angeles theaters were allowed to open on March 15, every major market in the U.S. is now back in business.

Theaters that have opened are limiting how many people they seat. Some chains have yet to fully reopen, with the lack of new films and seating limits making it too expensive to operate some locations. Regal Theatres, the secondlargest chain in the U.S., is still temporarily closed.

Studios remain wary of putting out big films without including a streaming option. The only new wide release this weekend is “The Courier,” a Cold War spy drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The movie came in at No. 3, generating $2 million sales that exceeded Boxoffice Pro’s estimate of $1.85 million.

Family movies from are still taking the top two spots. “Raya” made a higher-than-expected $5.15 million in domestic sales over the weekend, while “Tom & Jerry” brought in $3.84 million.