Can Blockbusters Save Movie Theaters? Why Independent Film Still Matters

After several uneven years for movie theaters — and the loss of more than 5,000 U.S. movie screens since the pandemic — 2026 may offer something that Hollywood has been waiting for: a true box office resurgence.

With major franchise films and big-budget blockbusters arriving across the summer and winter movie seasons, from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and Toy Story 5 to Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part 3, the coming months could remind audiences why the theatrical experience still matters.

But for Jeff Stern, distinguished lecturer in Bentley’s English and Media Studies Department, the future of moviegoing cannot depend on blockbusters alone. While major releases can bring crowds back to theaters, Stern argues that the health of film culture also depends on the smaller, stranger and more independent movies that challenge familiar formulas, introduce new voices and take creative risks major studios often avoid.

In an era shaped by streaming, studio consolidation, artificial intelligence and shorter theatrical windows, Stern argues that a healthy theatrical future will require both the crowd-pleasing power of major releases and the creative range of independent film.

Here, Stern discusses what is at stake for theaters: why the communal experience of moviegoing remains culturally powerful and why independent film may be essential to cinema’s future.

Is streaming the primary reason movie theaters are struggling, or are there bigger forces at play?

“There’s no way around the fact that movie theaters — and the film industry overall — have struggled since the pandemic. It’s been a perfect storm of challenging factors: AI, studio consolidation, shorter attention spans and, yes, streaming. Another big factor is that the window of time is shrinking between a film’s theatrical release and its availability on streaming platforms. 

“On a more positive note, I recently saw Iron Lung and Project Hail Mary, and both were in sold-out theaters. People laughed and gasped at the funny and scary moments, and applauded when the films were over. I had similar experiences when I saw Sinners, One Battle After Another, The Substance (2024) and Barbie (2023). So, maybe it’s not all doom and gloom — people are still having these movie theater experiences.

“Looking beyond declining attendance, I’m concerned about what studio consolidation is going to do to the kinds of movies that get made. The fewer studios, the less variety of content — and the safer that content is going to be.

“I loved Barbie, but most films made based on existing intellectual property (IP) are garbage. I’m looking at you, A Minecraft Movie and Masters of the Universe, and all the endless reboots. I don’t want to see tired, old Dan Aykroyd wheeled out for a cameo in Ghostbusters Part 17.

“As a filmmaker, I worry about the loss of truly new ideas from underrepresented voices that are going to challenge the dominant systems. And I think that declining quality will only hurt movie theaters. 

“But one more thing: Bentley is in the greater Boston area, and we are very lucky to have access to some of the best independent movie theaters in the country: The Brattle, The Coolidge Corner, The Somerville Theater and The Harvard Film Archive. If you’re a movie fan and you have not checked these theaters out, you should! And if you want to see more blockbusters and older classics, check out The Alamo Drafthouse in Boston!”

What would be lost culturally if the traditional movie theater experience declines?

“Like many people from my generation (Gen X), I grew up going to the movies and that experience is very sacred to me.

“I still tell my students that the absolute best way to experience a movie is on an enormous screen in a dark room with a loud sound system, surrounded by other people. With your phone off. The communal consumption of art — without the ability to pause, with no multitasking — can be like a religious experience. I would hate to see that disappear.

“And, although Gen Z is not going to the movies the way Gen X did, I’m heartened by how many of my students — and my two teenage sons! — love movies and see them in the theater. I think many of them understand the special kind of experience movie theaters provide and wouldn’t want to lose that.” 

Can blockbuster films meaningfully sustain theaters — and what do more blockbusters mean for smaller films?

“As we head into summer 2026, it’s looking like a good, maybe even great, year for movie theaters — especially given the doom and gloom that pervaded the industry during and after the pandemic.

“Project Hail Mary — really good movie! — and The Super Mario Galaxy  — no interest in seeing it! — have both been huge hits, and there is great optimism that upcoming releases like The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Toy Story 5, Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part 3 could make this a massive year at the box office. 

“As for smaller films, I was encouraged by the success of Iron Lung this year, which was a true independent film: completely self-financed and made without any studio control or distribution.

“I also think A24 continues to churn out high-quality, challenging, mid-budget films. Indie film has always struggled to survive in the shadow of Hollywood blockbusters. But what indie films have always done best is give voice to underrepresented groups and new ideas, often from the fringes of society.

“My hope is that the future success of movie theaters will be tied to smaller films providing the kind of exciting content that the mega-studios are afraid to put out there. We live in a time of great income disparity and great uneasiness about the systems that govern our lives. Independent art stands poised to give voice to those sentiments.”

On a lighter note: any upcoming films you’re personally excited about?

“Absolutely. Here are some I'm particularly excited about:

• I Love Boosters: 'A righteous middle finger to capitalism' about a group of high-end fashion shoplifters. And yes, it’s a bonkers comedy.
• The Blue Trail: A dystopian story in which senior citizens are sent to remote housing colonies. The movie focuses on a woman who escapes. 
• A Useful Ghost: A Thai woman’s deceased husband returns to her as a — wait for it — vacuum cleaner.
• Toy Story 5: The first four are all-time classics, so of course I’m excited to see this.
• Werwulf: The latest gothic horror from New Hampshire native Robert Eggers, director of Nosferatu, The Lighthouse and The Witch.
• The History of Concrete: A filmmaker attends a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, then tries to apply that same commercial formula to something much less obviously marketable: a documentary about concrete.
• The Mandalorian and Grogu: Yes, I have some Star Wars fatigue. But I grew up with the original trilogy and this one looks like it captures the fun and excitement of all those cool space creatures without the boring dialogue, bad acting and dense plots of the more recent films. Looks like a truly fun popcorn movie!”