If there is one actor that has seen a huge career boost thanks to the inflated box office receipts from superhero films over the past decade, it’s Chris Evans. Right up there with Robert Downey, Jr., Evans has been the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now is set for life based on being Captain America in the hearts and minds of millions of fans around the world. So, it makes complete sense that he’d be someone that would really be upset to see the theatrical release business permanently devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Yahoo Finance about his new political start-up, A Starting Point, Evans talked about a variety of things (let’s be real, he’s running for office at some point, right?). And the topic, of course, would eventually turn to the current state of movie theaters, given that Regal Cinemas in the US has shut down yet again due to lack of business and analysts are predicting that AMC Theatres might be filing for bankruptcy soon. And though he doesn’t have any insider information about the future of cinemas, Evans does have one thing—optimism.
“Wouldn’t that be a heartbreaker if [movie theaters] goes away? I don’t know,” said the actor. “I’m ever saying that things will equalize and get back to some kind of recognizability. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when. But I’m hopeful.”
Evans isn’t the only Hollywood figure that is concerned about the future of movie theaters. We’ve seen filmmakers like Patty Jenkins make worrying statements about how we may be witnessing the death of theaters. And we’ve also read an open letter from a number of prominent filmmakers asking the US Government to offer a stimulus payment to theaters that are struggling to keep their doors open at this time.
While Chris Evans has apparently hung up the shield for good as Captain America, you have to believe that theater owners would kill to have one more ‘Avengers’ film right about now.
