Earlier this week, Comscore reported that nearly 90% of theatres globally have reopened, an important milestone in the recovery of the movie business from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This success coincides with this weekend’s long-awaited debut of Disney/Marvel’s Black Widow, which lured a record number of moviegoers back to theatres. Another positive sign for the recovery of the exhibition in the U.S. is marked progress in the disbursement of disaster relief funds from the government. The U.S. Small Business Administration has stepped up the pace of its review of applications from struggling exhibitors for Shuttered Venue Operators Grants. As of July 6th, 74%, of all applications had been reviewed and grant funding, with only 26% of the applications submitted still under review or waiting to be reviewed. Many independent operators have been waiting on a decision from the SBA before re-hiring staff and reopening their theatres.