It was another surprising weekend at the box office – a possible indication that the movie theater industry is on its way back following a pandemic pause.

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it,” staring Montclair resident Patrick Wilson, took in $24 million in ticket sales this weekend. And while box office receipts are far below pre-pandemic highs, there are some encouraging signs.

“People are ready to come back to the movies,” says Joe Masher of the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Masher says that he believes last weekend’s pandemic record set by the release of “A Quiet Place Part 2” indicates that even though around 25% of movie theaters in the country are still shuttered, the industry will recover.

“Now there’s a big scramble over the last two weeks to get all of these closed theaters reopened. And we’re doing our best as an industry to support each other and get each other opened as soon as possible,” he says.

The pandemic threatened to destroy the movie industry with production shutdowns, theater closures and reduced capacity for reopenings.

A rainy Memorial Weekend followed by a heat wave gripping much of the nation, including New Jersey this past weekend, were seen as a help to theaters with people looking for indoor activities.

Masher is also the chief operating officer of Bowtie Cinemas, and says that the chain plans to reopen its theater in Ridgewood on Thursday.