Theaters Are Counting on James Bond’s Heroics

The death of movie theaters has been greatly exaggerated. What exactly their new life will look like in a post-pandemic world remains to be seen.

A strong box-office since early September has revived hopes for a sector once thought to be among the pandemic’s permanent victims. Walt Disney ’s latest Marvel installment, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has grossed more than $206 million domestically since its Sept. 3 launch. Sony ’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”—based on another Marvel character—opened to a strong $90 million gross this past weekend. And the much-delayed James Bond film “No Time to Die” from MGM has grossed $121 million in its early international markets ahead of its domestic release this coming weekend.