Much like a Beach Boys song from the 1960s, North American distribution has been focused far too long on the spoils of summer, jamming tentpole after tentpole into the four-month long summer season. I’m sure there’s a musical analogy for their concentration on November and December as well but I can’t come up with one right now.
But check box office results from the U.S. and Canada over the past few years and you will notice a trend emerging, one where studio distribution executives are realizing there are other months on the calendar that don’t involve barbecues or tree trimming. Success tends to breed success and Hollywood has begun to understand that, coronavirus disruptions aside, tentpole films can open in April, February, or (gasp!) September.