Fall Preview: Is it, Maybe, Back to Normal at the Movies?

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Ronal, voiced by Kate Winslet, left, and Tonowari, voiced by Cliff Curtis in a scene from "Avatar: The Way of Water." (20th Century Studios via AP)

For the first time in three years, the fall movie industrial complex is lurching back into high gear. Festival red carpets are rolled out. Oscar campaigns are primed. Long-awaited blockbusters, like "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Avatar: The Way of Water," are poised for big box office.

But after the tumult of the pandemic, can the fall movie season just go back to way it was? Many are hoping it can.