A $4.76-billion summer put movie theaters back on track. Now comes the hard part

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Set us as preferred In the months leading up to summer, Paul Gunsky installed new reclining seats and immersive sound systems at his Bay Area CineLux Theatres chain in hopes that moviegoers would return in droves.And they did.Young people flocked to his showings of “Obsession” as the Gen Z horror film gained momentum throughout the summer, while nostalgic millennials came to watch “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” propelling business for his chain of eight theaters with 62 screens above that of last year.Driven by billion-dollar-plus blockbusters, the popularity of Imax and other enhanced formats and a diverse lineup of films, this summer’s box office has given theater owners such as Gunsky a much-needed shot in the arm and boosted optimism for the rest of the year.The season’s heaviest lifting came from Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” ($2.4 billion in global box office), Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” ($1.6 billion) and Walt Disney Co.

and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” ($1.1 billion), though a wide-ranging crop of quality movies helped push the summer over the edge.For the full summer — which the industry counts from the first Friday in May through Labor Day — theatrical revenue in the U.S.and Canada is expected to reach $4.76 billion, marking the highest summer ever, not adjusted for inflation, according to Rentrak.That’s welcome news for the major Hollywood studios, which still count theatrical revenue as a key source of business during a tumultuous time for the industry.

“There was a general philosophy in Hollywood that the billion-dollar-movie box-office days were behind us,” said Sanford Panitch, president of the motion picture group at Sony Pictures.“But when you look back at a bunch of evidence, particularly younger audiences going to the movies, there were signs of vibrancy in the audience behavior this summer.”The summer’s total was a nearly 30% improvemen...