There was a time when the future of movie theaters was in question, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the success the cinema has seen in 2022, largely thanks to summer blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick, things may finally be returning to normal for the film industry.
Jurassic World Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Minions: The Rise of Gru, The Batman, and Thor: Love and Thunder are just a few films released this year, with each grossing north of $700 million. Now, Idris Elba wants the same for his latest film, Beast. The movie is set to release in theaters tomorrow, Aug 18, and the first reviews are beginning to pour in. In an interview with ComicBook.com, the actor shares his hopes for Beast and the film industry's future.
"Man, this is great, I feel great. I mean, I just feel like we saw what audiences felt like going to watch [Top Gun] Maverick, you know what I mean? And I feel like, you know, not to compare, but we want to take the audience there, too. Maverick did, and Beast is definitely gonna do that and I think that's good, we want to continue the trend of moviegoing again, you know what I mean? Like it's a special environment to see films, right?"
Elba was a star in several films during the pandemic era, including The Suicide Squad, Concrete Cowboy, and The Harder They Fall. Although he enjoyed working on films regardless of the audience, the actor will undoubtedly welcome fans back into their seats at the theater.
Elba Says They Wanted to Make a Fantastical Story Turn Realistic in Beast
No, lions do not usually go out of their way to aggressively hunt humans in the wild. However, that doesn't mean a film centered on that exact premise can't be entertaining. Elba tells ComicBook.com that he wanted to make a movie that 'just plucked audiences from wherever they're sitting and threw them into this family's predicament right there.' And the actor feels he's done precisely that with Beast.
"I mean, obviously no lions in this, but it was definitely, we had to really pay attention. This is a fantastical story, lions don't attack human beings in this way, but we wanted to make it realistic. I was really keen to make a film that just plucked audiences from wherever they're sitting and threw them into this family's predicament right there. So it was interesting, it was really hard work as well."
You can head out to your local theater this weekend to support Elba's latest outing in Beast and the overall cinematic experience. As audiences return to theaters, we will likely see less reliance on straight-to-streaming for films and a further dependency on movie theaters.