Deadline’s Pete Hammond and Todd McCarthy talk about summer movies and why theaters are thirsty for them

The editors note: Deadline presents its 24th episode A video series with Pete Hammond and Todd McCarthy in the film. Each has spent decades discussing and writing about the craft and has amassed a considerable breadth of knowledge about past and present films. What we expected when we asked them to do this was a succinct, mature and thoughtful conversation comparable to that of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.

Hollywood’s high season, also known as summer, is now in full swing, so what better time than now to find out why the warm months are the biggest at the box office and how the pandemic has shaken things up. The closure and its aftermath forced blockbusters to play musical chairs in the summer, where audiences were ready to return to the comfort of air-conditioned multiplexes. We also ask if the “summer film season” can return to what it once was.

In today’s episode, we talk about how summer has historically become the best time for movie franchises paying the bills. It is commonly believed that this was Steven Spielberg’s perfect summer 1975 release. jaws, Which completely changed the trajectory and led to an environment for spectators where nothing but a I’m sure Probably something is not playing and the films are liked Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Thor: Love and Thunder, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness And then there are the films that the industry hopes will bring audiences back to packed theaters.

So far, it seems to be working, each of these films is an expensive effort to bring the glory days of summer films back to pre-pandemic levels. But is that a good thing? Is Hollywood forgetting the grown-up audience it only serves in the fall when Oscar season arrives? Why do only Marvel, Tom Cruise, dinosaurs and animation take up multiple screens? Is there room for something else?

Hammond and McCarthy also talk about streamer influence and how they like potential summer movies with stars. The man from Toronto, Spider-Man, Gray Man and Ron Howard thirteen lives By the way, they go almost directly to the small screen and ask the question: right? What’s more Summer movies these days of streaming?

Click on the video above to watch our conversation.

Hammond has been a columnist for Deadline’s Awards for the past decade, covering what are now apparently Oscar and Emmy seasons throughout the year. He is also Deadline’s lead film critic, having previously reviewed the films for MovieLine, at the cash desks magazine, Behind the scenesHollywood.com and maximumas much as Leonard Maltin movie guide of which he was editorial assistant. In addition to writing, Hammond also hosts the KCET film series and the station’s weekly series. Must watch movies.

McCarthy is a veteran film critic, columnist, and journalist who has also written several acclaimed books and documentaries. He has worked twice at the headquarters variety Y the hollywood reporter and widely covered international film festivals for both publications. your movie Visions of light: the art of cinematography He won Best Documentary Awards from the New York Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics and won an Emmy Award for writing documentaries. Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of the American Dreamer. He was also a documentary director. The man in the film: Pierre Ricent Y forever hollywood.