Hollywood faces strike-slimmed movie slate

LOS ANGELES — The movie industry celebrated “Oppenheimer” and other successes at the Oscars on Sunday, but the coming months at the box office will likely offer less to cheer about.

Strikes by actors and writers last year forced filming and post-production work to shut down for months, leaving gaps in this year’s movie schedule.

Industry executives and analysts say the release calendar for April lacks an obvious blockbuster on a par with last year’s box office hit, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

The summer box office will likely rebound, buoyed by such releases as “Inside Out 2” and a third “Deadpool” movie, though the Christmas cinematic offerings look sparse.

“I think ‘24 is going to be probably one of the worst of the last three years globally,” said Tim Richards, CEO of Europe’s Vue cinema chain.

So far this year, ticket sales in the United States and Canada have been tracking 9.8 per cent behind 2023, according to Comscore. Analyst B. Riley Securities forecasts domestic box office revenues would fall to $8.5 billion this year, a decline of 5 per cent from 2023.

At Walt Disney, CEO Bob Iger recently spoke about the studio’s renewed emphasis on quality over quantity. The company has 10 movies on its release schedule this year.

Disney’s Marvel Studios, which had been releasing two to three movies per year, has just one set for 2024.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” will hit theaters in July.

Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures plans a dozen releases, including the fourth installment in Illumination’s $2.6 billion animated film franchise, “Despicable Me.”

It is possible other films could be announced when theater operators gather in April at the annual Cinemacon convention in Las Vegas.