Surprisingly, the film box office recovery is being supported by successes in non-franchise films and original features, exemplified by titles like Super Mario Galaxy and Project Hail Mary.

<img alt="Cartoon characters look on in amazement." height="349" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/f1e26c75-eda7-4c9c-b047-53f8e64bd969,1776104370148/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C156%2C3000%2C1687%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29" title="This image released by Universal Pictures shows Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, left, and Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, in a scene from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." width="620" /><p>A string of box office successes is, perhaps surprisingly, support...