The announcement that Netflix plans to acquire Warner Bros. has reignited the debate about the future of movie theaters. A number of high-profile actors have weighed in recently, including Stellan Skarsgard, who used his Golden Globe acceptance speech to declare that “cinema should be seen in cinema.” Leonardo DiCaprio pondered in an interview whether viewers “still have the appetite” for movie theaters and Julia Roberts has said that she finds the death of movie theaters “too heartbreaking” to contemplate.
Statistics show that ticket sales in theatres across the U.S. are considerably down compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, cinephiles have some grounds for optimism: last month was the high-grossing December at the global box office since 2019, thanks to the release of films such as Avatar: Fire and Ash, Marty Supreme, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2 and The Housemaid.
The latter, a Lionsgate-produced adaptation of the bestselling psychological thrilled by Freida McFadden, starred Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried and was directed by Paul Feig, best known for Bridesmaids. As of this week, the movie has earned $305 million at the global box office on a budget of approximately $35 million, making it a significant success for Lionsgate.
So what, in 2026, makes a movie a good bet for theaters? “We’re much more thoughtful about what we’re making for theatrical,” says Erin Westerman, who oversaw The Housemaid in her role as president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. She leads all development and production for the independent studio’s theatrical slate, which includes franchises such as Saw and The Hunger Games, as well as an upcoming Michael Jackson biopic due later this year. “The pressure for it to be great is higher…if you can be surprising, if you can be sexy and if you can a create a moment where people are collectively reacting, it has to be the theater.” Horror plays particularly well on the big screen, she adds, as do book adaptions with built in, multi-generational audiences and movies that appeal to female viewers. “Women are the drivers of culture,” she says. Gen Z, which emerged in 2025 as the fastest-growing age group for movie theater attendance, is another important demographic.
Much of this explains why The Housemaid has performed well. It’s a rollicking, if at times ridiculous, thriller that was always going to draw a crowd because of the book’s success. I watched it in a theater and shrieked and gasped along with everyone else. Add in Sweeney and Seyfried’s combined star power and a plot propelled by the culturally resonant subject of female rage and it’s unsurprising that the movie has found a broad audience. The sequel will go into production this year.
Feature films are no longer the only way to get people to movie theaters. Last month, Netflix released the finale of Stranger Things in theaters across the U.S. and Canada at the same time that it was available on their platform. It was a huge success, reportedly bringing in over $25 million to theaters. Expect to see more one-off events across the industry in an attempt to get people back to theaters. “We’re having a lot of conversations about how to meet audiences where they are and how to use miniature events as opportunities to fill theatres,” says Westerman of Lionsgate’s plans. “We’re nimble enough that it’s possible. We’re looking at everything,”
Ellie Austin
ellie.austin@fortune.com
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PARTING WORDS
"It’s hard when you’re a woman. It’s hard when you’re fully Black. You really have to repeatedly show people, time and time again, who you are before you start booking."
— Shrinking star Jessica Williams on making the jump from The Daily Show to acting
