Hollywood's Big Summer: Spider-Man, The Odyssey, and the Movies Everyone's Talking About

Richard Roeper reflects on an historic 2026 summer at the movies and the recurring claim that “movies are dead,” tracing past disruptions from TV and VHS to streaming and the pandemic’s theater closures, including Chicago’s Navy Pier IMAX. They discuss major hits led by Spider-Man: Brand New Day—praised for its grounded, emotional story about Peter Parker being erased from everyone’s memory—and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a true-IMAX epic projected to top $1.5 billion despite “woke casting” backlash. Roeper shares highlights from his private New York screening and extensive interview with Nolan, including Nolan’s admiration for Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, plus Roeper’s history with Nolan since Memento and The Dark Knight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices