Year in review/movies: Many high-profile films have been released, yet others held back
The silver screen ought to be a place of dreams for moviegoers, but for much of the past two years, going to movie theaters themselves has itself been a bit of a dream for many audiences.
In 2020, all movie theaters, with the exception of drive-ins, such as the South Drive-In, were initially closed because of health orders. The theaters that eventually reopened last year had relatively few new movies to show as Hollywood remained unsure about whether audiences would show up or not.
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This year, however, the movies roared back as theaters reopened to show a steady stream of content from Hollywood. On the heels of the success of the Marvel movie “Black Widow” in July, subsequent blockbusters included “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” the latest installment in the James Bond series, “No Time to Die” and the long-awaited sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”
Closer to home, the Drexel Theatre in Bexley and the Gateway Film Center, near the Ohio State University campus, were among the locally owned and operated movie theaters to reopen, while numerous other local film events — including the CAPA Summer Movie series in the Ohio Theatre and a series of talks and screenings surrounding the publication of Wil Haygood’s “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World” — took place.
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Below is a list of several highlights from the past year of moviegoing in Greater Columbus.
• The Drexel, Gateway and Wexner Center reopen: Although major multiplex chains, including AMC Theatres, have long been reopened, two of Greater Columbus’ most prominent area movie theaters reopened on Memorial Day weekend, the Drexel Theatre and the Gateway Film Center.
Business at locally owned theaters has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
For example, the Drexel, currently operating at 80% of its full capacity, has seen ups and downs in attendance since reopening, but theater director Jeremy Henthorn noted increases during the fall movie season (which coincided with the Drexel becoming Greater Columbus’ only movie theater to require proof of vaccination).
• “Black Widow” is released in July: The Marvel superhero film, starring Scarlett Johansson in the title role, was released by Disney following numerous pandemic-related delays. The film was a huge hit, topping previous pandemic-era releases and accumulating a final domestic gross of more than $183 million.
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• The CAPA Summer Movie Series returns: The annual classic film series in the Ohio Theatre, which had presented a slimmed-down edition in 2020, resumed a full slate of screenings in July and August. Organist Clark Wilson celebrated his 30th season as resident organist, which included a Wilson-accompanied screening of the silent film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
• “Top Gun: Maverick” delayed: Although most blockbusters opened on schedule, Hollywood showed it still had some pandemic jitters when Paramount Pictures delayed the release of the “Top Gun” sequel. Originally scheduled to premiere on Nov. 19, Paramount moved the debut to May 27, 2022.
• Haygood book release and screenings: The October publication of Columbus native Wil Haygood’s “Colorization,” focusing on the history of Black actors and artists in the film business, was commemorated with numerous talks and appearances by Haygood, as well as special screenings at venues including the Drexel, the Gateway and the Wexner Center.
• “Unorthodocs” screenings: In October, the Wexner Center’s “Unorthodocs” documentary film festival presented numerous notable nonfiction films, including “They Won’t Call It Murder,” a film focused on the killings of young people, most of them Black, by Columbus police officers.
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• Greater Columbus stars in “West Side Story”: Two performers with roots in Greater Columbus — Mike Faist and Kellie Drobnick — scored roles in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story,” which premiered to critical acclaim in December. Faist appeared in the leading role of Riff, and Drobnick dances in a supporting role. To top off the Ohio connection: Though the Oscar-winning director was raised primarily in Arizona, Spielberg was born in Cincinnati.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Many high-profile films have been released, yet others held until 2022
