Sony Pictures chief Tony Vinciquerra is feeling pretty good right now, and honestly can you blame him. He's pointing at the back-to-back rollout of The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day as proof that, his words, "people are going to the movies again."

And like... he's not wrong? I've been saying this literally all summer. The theatrical experience is irreplaceable. You can't replicate the energy of a packed room losing its mind at the same moment when you're just sitting on your couch with your phone in your hand.

The Odyssey has been doing serious numbers, and Spider-Man is Spider-Man, so Brand New Day was always gonna bring people out. But having both land close together? that's the kind of one-two punch that gets people back in the habit of just... going to the theater. Not for one specific event movie. just going.

Per Far Out Magazine, Vinciquerra framed it as a broader shift, not just a Sony win. I think he's onto something. The vibe at theaters this summer has genuinely felt different to me. more alive, more crowded, more like the thing I keep arguing matters all along.

My big question is whether this lasts. Cause a great summer doesn't automatically fix everything that's been rough about the theatrical business these past couple years. I keep wondering if the fall slate will keep the momentum going or if this is just a particularly stacked few months and then we're back to the doom. We'll see.

But for right now? let the studio chiefs enjoy it. People are going to the movies again. I'll keep saying it cause I keep seeing it, and I'll keep being loud about why it matters. The communal energy of a theater is something you cannot stream.