NEW YORK, June 4 — This year, many films may be laying claim to the title of summer blockbuster. Studios are counting on their big-budget franchises to breathe new life into a sector that has been in a slump since the pandemic. So which releases are audiences most eager to see?

According to industry experts, American cinemas have practically returned to pre-Covid attendance levels. This summer, revenues from cinema ticket sales could reach four billion dollars in the United States, compared with 3.4 billion in 2022. The domestic box office has seen growth of 37 per cent compared to the same period last year, says Morning Consult. June "will probably be the best month we’ve had at the box office since the theatres reopened,” Bruce Nash, founder of box-office tracking site The Numbers, told Morning Consult.

And the line-up of films set to hit cinemas between May and August features a host of A-list stars, directors and franchises. The list includes the fifth feature film in the Indiana Jones saga, the new Mission: Impossible film, the latest Transformers title, the Barbie big-screen adaptation, and Christopher Nolan’s latest feature Oppenheimer.

But which of these films are Americans most looking forward to? According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, it’s the next instalment in the Indiana Jones saga. Fifty-one per cent of those surveyed said they would be interested in seeing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in theatres this summer.

The cult archaeologist hero is followed by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the second most highly anticipated film among American adults (50 per cent). Another superhero rounds out the top three, The Flash, which interests 44 per cent of Americans polled, the same number interested in seeing the next instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, MI: Dead Reckoning Part One.

It’s also worth noting that American audiences remain enthusiastic about horror films. Especially Generation Z moviegoers. According to the study, this demographic is looking forward more than any other generation to the films Insidious: The Red Door at 59 per cent and The Nun 2 at 48 per cent. Sixty-nine percent of Gen Z indicated that they would be interested in going to the cinema to watch a horror film. — ETX Studio

Top films Americans are looking forward to seeing in movie theatres this summer:

1. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 51%

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - 50%

3. The Flash |Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - 44%

4. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - 43%

5. The Little Mermaid - 42%

6. Haunted Mansion - 39%

7. The Equalizer 3 - 38%

8. The Boogeyman - 37%

9. Insidious: The Red Door - 36%

10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - 35%

11. The Nun 2 - 34%

12. Meg 2: The Trench | Gran Turismo - 30%

13. Barbie | About My Father - 28%

14. Oppenheimer | Elemental | Joy Ride - 27%

15. The Machine - 26%

*Survey conducted from May 11 to 14, 2023 on a sample of 2,201 American adults.