By Patrick Nagy

It’s Memorial Day Weekend in the United States. A time we remember the soldiers of wars and battles past. It’s also is a time that feels like the kickoff of summer and since 1975, it’s the time of the Blockbuster! Technically the first Summer Blockbuster film Jaws was released on June 20th, but two years later Star Wars set the stage for what would be the launchpad for the big summer movie releases. Rambo: First Blood Part II, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, X-Men Days of Future Past, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Mission Impossible, Men in Black III, The Hangover II, Beverly Hills Cop II, Back to the Future III, Return of the Jedi…if it was a sequel to a success or featured a mega action star, it would be out Memorial Day Weekend.

This year is a little different though. After two years of a pandemic, vast technology improvements, and just a basic shift on how entertainment is thought of and produced, the Summer Blockbuster is coming home. To your home that is. Sure there is still a push to get people back to theaters like the current release of the long awaited Top Gun: Maverick, but some of the most anticipated releases are from the streaming services. 

Disney+ comes out swinging with the unexpectedly adult humored Chip `N Dales Rescue Rangers full length film and the expanse of the Skywalker Star Wars timeline with Ewan McGregor starring in the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series.

Paramount+ pushed up the streaming date of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 having only released less than two months ago in theaters.

HBO Max followed suit by releasing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hoping to find new life for the Harry Potter prequel after a disappointing theater run.

Netflix probably has the most anticipated return with the fourth season of their wildly popular Stranger Things franchise. Sticking with the batch release method, binge watchers should rejoice this three day weekend.

The point is, things are changing. In some ways entertainment is changing for the better, and in other ways not so much. Is this the last gasp of the super event movie theater summer Blockbuster we all come to love over the past 47 years? Is it the end of waiting in line for tickets to see that one big event movie opening day? The end of cheering, screaming, and applauding in sold out showings for our favorite characters on bigger than life screens while we sip on incredibly huge sodas while downing popcorn, and Junior Mints?

I sure hope not.

Television and films are better than ever, and I’m grateful for the convenience of streaming high definition images onto my large screen in the comfort of my living room, but next year when things are hopefully a little safer, I hope to go to the theater of rabid fans to see the next anticipated Summer Blockbuster. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 perhaps?!