re: Did you think movies would be "back" by now?

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Is the movie industry just still recovering or have times forever changed?

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The film industry sucked way WAY before the pandemic

No originality whatsoever so the movies therefore are pretty much shite.

My first movie since the pandemic was “Where the Crawdad’s Sing,” and I thought that was a great story and movie. Other than that, nah.

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Hollywood has gone too far to the left to relate to audiences.

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That's not the issue

Hollywood is afraid to take chances, especially with bigger budgets, so the second something works, that's all they will do.

Star Wars (as opposed to any other sci fi brand), superhero (particularly Marvel, but Batman is also a winner), ... I think that's it. After that, I think it's revisiting a past franchise that has a following- Top Gun. Dune. Ghostbusters. Avatar upcoming.

If I were truly a cynic, I'd say Amazon would follow the Disney MCU formula: make Rings of Power, have it lead up to the Last Alliance, and then release the Last Alliance as a blockbuster trilogy for the big screen. Hell, the pieces are in place, if they want- they will have the sets and props already, from ROP, as well as the actors cast. Bitch if you like about the show, but it seems to have a following (even negative followings denote attention- nobody bothers to make a youtube hate clip about something obscure).
Those invested in the show would need to watch the movies for the payout, those not following would still be interested in the next big trilogy on the big screen. And we're talking about a season's worth of filming, slap it over to the theaters to make some money.

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but the years of 65-80 films a year breaking 100 million worldwide at the BO

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To me it feels like they've got a long list of pre-approved woke crap and they will, gosh darn it, work their way through that list.
Will their studios still exist when that list is finished?

Probably not, but they don't own the studios and there seem always to be jobs for writers, lighting and sound, staging, costumes.

Just don't be the one to be the last one to sign off on crap.

Movies are objectively worse today than what they used to be. Ignoring things like IMDB and RT, the average total revenue a movie generates in 2022 (including streaming purchases) indicates that people are less interested in watching movies, which is mostly a product of a dip in quality of movies in general. The era of remakes and cinematic universes is played out to the point where most people don't want to pay extra to watch them when they come out, rather wait until they're free on a streaming platform. I know movies transition from theater to DVD/streaming faster than ever these days, but if your movie is good enough (Top Gun Maverick), people will still show up in droves to see it at a theater.

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That's not the issue

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I disagree.

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Hollywood is afraid to take chances

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Every time they put out something that they subvert with wokeness, they're taking a chance. And often failing miserably.

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Is the movie industry just still recovering or have times forever changed?

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I think it’s changed forever.

There’s a combination of…

- Increase in streaming-only movie releases via Prime, Apple TV+, Netflix, etc.
- Consolidation of media companies (Disney/Fox, Amazon/MGM, Warner/Discovery, and a host of smaller studios being acquired).
- Rush to cash in on that consolidation and improve positioning in the streaming market, partially by using parallel theater/streaming releases and/or very short theater-only windows. Which has led to further consolidation and several companies rethinking their strategies.

…among other things.

Not all of it is due to the COVID shutdowns. A lot of these trends started years ago, but the shutdowns and corresponding success of streaming services have really accelerated the transition.

I think we’ll continue to have some periodic “must see in theater” blockbusters for a long time, but I think the industry will continue shifting spend to more streaming-focused properties such as limited series.