In an Upside-down Summer, ‘Jaws,’ ‘E.T.’ Are Hits Again

 

When historians¹ look back to the summer of 2020, they might feel like time travelers in the Hollywood movie "Back to the Future."

"Empire Strikes Back" was the number one film during the second week of July. The Star Wars movie was first released 40 years ago. A week earlier, "Ghostbusters" which had come out in 1984 was the top movie. A week later, it was the 1993 film "Jurassic Park."

The coronavirus pandemic seems to bring back a lot of things from the past, from puzzles to drive-in theaters. But old movies are back for a different reason.

Most of the big movie theaters are still closed. So major new movie releases have been postponed² to late August or early September.

Only 1,000 theaters, including 300 or so drive-ins, are currently³ open in the U.S. They have brought back popular movies from the past, like "E.T.", a movie about a young boy and an out-of-this-world creature.

Brian Keasey, of Montrose, Colorado, has been going to the theaters every week when he is not playing movies at home.

Keasey says he has seen "Jaws⁴" three times this summer, including once on a screen next to a small body of water. "Jaws" is about a great white shark that jumps out of the water to attack people at a beach area. He said, "You can freeze frame any piece of that movie and it's a perfect slice of 1975 America."

"I saw ‘Jaws' on the big screen. I saw ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark' on the big screen. I saw my childhood on the big screen," Keasey added just as he was headed out to a theater to see "Ghostbusters."

"Jurassic Park" has been the most profitable⁵, with more than $3 million in ticket sales this summer, say several people who have seen box-office numbers. The numbers are, of course, very low when compared to the billions of dollars new summer movies usually bring in.

There have been a few new releases like "Trolls World Tour" and "Onward⁶." But "Jaws," "E.T.," "Goonies" and "Ghostbusters" are among this summer's most popular.

One new release, the low-budget movie "The Wretched," was the number one movie for seven straight weeks, probably because it was one of the few new films to see this summer. It has earned $1.8 million in 13 weeks. It was made for less than $100,000.

This year, it is possible that the most watched movies are "Hamilton" on Disney+ and "The Old Guard" on Netflix. But the services have not released the numbers of people who have watched them over the internet.

For Herb Geraghty, going to summer movies still hold romance⁷. The 24-year-old found a new girlfriend just as the pandemic began. For several months they talked only on the internet. For their first evening together, they drove to a drive-in, laid out a blanket for a picnic and watched a movie.

"We do it pretty much every weekend now," says Geraghty.

I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

pandemic - n. a contagious⁸ disease that spreads to other countries

puzzle - n. a picture that has been cut into many pieces that must be reassembled

slice - n. a piece of cake or pie

childhood - n. the years leading up to age 18

romance - n. loving another

picnic - n. a meal eaten on a blanket in a park

1 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

2 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

3 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

4 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

5 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

6 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

7 romance   

n.恋爱关系，浪漫气氛，爱情小说，传奇

参考例句：

• She wrote a romance about an artist's life in Tokyo.她写了一个关于一位艺术家在东京生活的浪漫故事。
• They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.他们试图重燃爱火。

8 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。