The hits just keep on coming. But not the ones movie theaters need.Unwelcome forces — Netflix, 50-inch TVs, the coronavirus pandemic — have buffeted cinemas for years. Now, staggering debt and a severe shortage of big movies to show in the months ahead imperil multiplex chains once again.In recent months, the situation didn’t look so dire. Theaters were feeling newly optimistic, largely because “Top Gun: Maverick” and several other blockbusters showed that people still want to go to the movies. The “Top Gun” sequel has taken in an astounding $1.5 billion worldwide, and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” outperformed its 2016 franchise predecessor by 41 percent.“Let the good times roll,” Adam Aron, the chief executive of AMC Entertainment, said during an earnings call last month.And yet, behind that rosy view, instability lurked. Summer ticket sales still lagged significantly behind …
