How ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ Make the Case for Moviegoing

With “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” providing the latest reminder that Marvel movies can work wonders at the box office, it’s hard to get a sense for whether anything else can succeed alongside them. Enter “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” which opens in the U.S. next week in an obvious play for moviegoers drawn to the period drama’s longstanding appeal. Of course, this is just an appetizer for the masses expected to flood multiplexes when “Top Gun: Maverick” opens May 24.

In this week’s episode of Screen Talk, Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson discuss both upcoming new releases and how they speak to the efforts to get more people back in theaters. Kohn also recommends Jerrod Carmichael’s directorial debut, “On the Count of Three,” which finally opens this week after debuting at Sundance 2021.

Finally, the pair anticipate next week’s Cannes Film Festival and the industry activity there, including the one high-profile movie that all the American buyers can’t wait to see. (There will be more dealmaking at the market.)

Anyone on the ground at this year’s festival is encouraged to attend a live recording of Screen Talk that will include an audience Q&A at the American Pavilion on Wednesday, May 25 at 12:30 p.m.

Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.

Screen Talk is produced by Azwan Badruzaman and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. Browse previous installments here, subscribe here, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk. 

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