Analysis: Delta variant disrupts Hollywood's box office comeback

Three months after Hollywood launched a marketing blitz that proclaimed 'the big screen is back,' the Delta variant of the coronavirus has interrupted cinema's rebound from the pandemic. Studio executives and movie theater operators, meeting this week in Las Vegas for the annual CinemaCon convention, hoped to reignite moviegoing this summer. After encouraging turnouts for action flicks such as Marvel's 'Black Widow' and 'Fast & Furious' franchise movie 'F9,' recent U.S. and Canadian ticket sales have underwhelmed. 'The only audience that seems to be going on a consistent basis is 18- to 35-(year olds),' said Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co.