It will be back to the future as the major movie chains start to re-open later this month.

The calendar of major releases has been well-shuffled, and only three major licensing-supported tentpoles are still slated for this summer — Mulan (July 24), The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (August 7) and Wonder Woman 1984 (August 14).

The unprecedented nature of this summer and beyond may present a couple of merchandising and revenue opportunities

Mining the catalog 

Beyond the films mentioned above, there will be a few theatrical releases where licensing isn’t a major factor, but other than that, many theaters will try to fill seats– most are limited to 25-50% of capacity depending on the state – with popular films from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Some, such as Back to the Future, Goonies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, were released late last month to smaller cinema chains in states in which COVID-related restrictions had been eased. Can those films’ re-emergence on the big screen – no matter how fleeting – boost mindshare and product sales?

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Jamie Stevens sees potential in limited categories, mostly in print-on-demand apparel. Even if you still have your vintage Jaws t-shirt from 1975, or even from the sequels (1978, 1983 and 1987), this may be an opportunity to update a classic

It’s a fleeting opportunity, to be sure, given that many theater operators view the screenings of the classics mostly as a test run for health and safety protocols, rather than a revenue generator. In China, Warner Bros. re-released 2001’s Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone in late April as theaters re-opened, but with limited merchandising and posters to promote the film.

“What is going to attract people to come [to see classic films] is number one, the movie, and number two, confidence that we’ve taken all the health and safety protocols,” Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said. “We are going to make it a very simple, very clear, easy consumer message, ‘welcome back’.” Its theaters will charge $3-$5 per ticket for the classics.

In-Theater Merch

At first glance, it would seem that the search for new revenue streams might lead theater owners toward a new effort to establish in-theater merchandise outposts. Pre-pandemic, AMC had in-theater product displays tied to new releases and evergreen properties in 54 locations via an agreement with sister company Mtime, says Mtime’s Aaron Sobel. Separately, Cinemark and Cineplex (in Canada) had them in more than 300.

But though the merchandise may have generated a few extra dollars for AMC, it will have to wait, says Sobel. “For the time being, merchandise is going to take a back seat to the re-opening sequence….  A lot of the merchandise lived in the lobby, and unfortunately that is a big touch point area. With COVID, they are trying to reduce as many touch points as possible for the short-term and they’ve pulled the merchandising racks from the floor and they will only sell concessions [popcorn bowls and drink cups with licensed IP] and product from behind the counter which will limit the number of SKUs that are visible.