By Charlie Maurer
September 10, 2023
It's 5 pm on a Saturday. Jakob Kraft, Stone Theatres employee of 4 months and rising Hoggard senior washes his hands at the employee sink and clocks in for his shift. This is routine. He’s done it time and time again. Walking out to his register his jaw hits the floor. Lines longer than he’d ever seen fill the lobby and stretch all the way back to the doors. A roar of clashing voices, register beeps, and popping fills the air. The lobby bobs like a sea. Utter chaos. Not a soul behind the counter is in a good mood. Every employee is under pressure. They’re all stressed. Losing their minds so each and every moviegoer can enjoy their experience. This is new for Kraft. He’s never worked a day like it. The busiest he’s ever seen by a long shot. He would later recall it as “Hell for anyone working”.
On July 21st, 2023, the world welcomed both Barbie and Oppenheimer to the big screen. People gathered friends and family to dress up and see both movies back to back. Two of the biggest productions in recent memory that couldn't be more different created one of the historically busiest summers for movie theaters everywhere. Barbie alone raked in $155 million opening weekend and Oppenheimer followed with an impressive $82 million. That weekend would make history as the 4th largest domestic box office opening of all time.
Kraft slides the candy drawer open and nothing but a few boxes of Raisinets and Milk Duds shuffle around. They’re out of almost everything. Even all the prep for the day couldn’t secure enough for every hungry patron. The lines remained relentless. The hustle was unending.
“What can I get for you?”
Ring up the #2.
“Sorry, we're out of that.”
Ring up the alternative.
“$21.78”
Take the card.
Pay.
Hand the card back.
Grab a tub.
Wait to get into the popper.
Fill the tub with popcorn.
Get the drinks.
“Was it a Coke Zero or diet Coke?”
Hand them the drinks.
“Enjoy.”
Next customer.
All night long.
It was a sweet relief by the time Kraft clocked out, after midnight - almost 2 hours later than usual. Non-stop service for almost 7 hours. He can feel every second in his aching bones and ringing head. Walking out to his truck he can look back fondly on his busy workday. He may have never had a second of quiet all night but he can find peace in the fact that he was a part of it all. He helped make that experience for those people. He can be happy about that. Taking the world by storm, together Barbie and Oppenheimer have made $537 million worldwide. A massive and undeniable success. Success of course, not just monetarily. Subliminal or not, going to the movies became an event again. Even if you didn’t realize it then maybe you can look back now. When was the last time you were that excited and had that much fun at a movie? The reception of these films is monumental for the industry as well. Studios will see that more artistic and thoughtful films can perform well and viewership will be all the better for it. Behind us are the days of heartless productions that feel less like art and more like theme park rides. A new era. The world forever changes.
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