Simultaneously against my better judgment and in an effort to support local businesses, I bought tickets to go to the movies tonight with my husband.
When I purchased the tickets, I thought, “Cool! So much distancing/masking/disinfecting. All good.” Chose seats with as little contact with others as possible.
Arrived at the theater, and there were four of us there, total. In the whole theater, On a Friday evening and the opening of an action/thriller (Unhinged).
I can’t imagine the industry going under … but what are the solutions? How long will it take people to return to “normal”? Is there anything else the theaters can do?
Back in June and July, the local cinema here in Australia was open, showing older movies. We got to see Alien and Aliens on the big screen - first time for both of us. We saw a couple of others as well, though nothing new. The oldest movie I can recall them playing was Mary Poppins, from back in the '60s.
This was in one of the ‘Gold Class’ theatres, with big comfy seats and plenty of room. They were also doing shows in the regular theatres, with appropriate spacing. We felt pretty safe, overall.
Alas, locked down again.
I wish I had an answer. I work at a movie theater as a projectionist, or did until March. It has since reopened, with assigned seating and limits on the audience size, which hardly matters because business has been extremely slow.
One problem has been the reluctance of distributors to release anything new, so exhibitors have to fill in the gaps with old perrenials like The Wizard of Oz and The Goonies out of desperation . A few new titles are starting to trickle in, but as you have seen it’s an uphill climb luring the public back into public spaces.
Drive-in theaters are probably going to pick up, in fact I think there was a thread about them not long ago.
One of the theaters local to me closed for good pretty much instantly when lock down first happened. I haven’t been there to watch anything, but the locally owned “dollar theater” was doing shows a few weeks ago. I think a few cinema outlets of the indoor variety will probably survive for any given location, but drive-in will see a resurgence.
Movie theaters reopened this past Friday on Oahu. Not all but some. I think we’ll wait a bit. But they seem to be taking good measures. Encouraging people to buy their tickets online. Blocking the two seats on either side of your party when you choose the seats (no “stadium seating” in Hawaii movie theaters). And since the state now forbids gatherings of more than five people, if you show up with six or more, they’re going to break up your group.
Other measures include not letting anyone in more than 30 minutes before showtime and staggering times to reduce the number of people in the lobby.
See, I’d go, if I could know that I’d be the only one… Hmmm, go to a megaplex (with HEPA filters) for an early matinee, and tell myself I’ll see anything that’s playing in an empty theater, and then peek into each one… (and end up watching a Bollywood Kids’ Movie?).
Otherwise, how could you avoid breathing other people’s air? You can’t open a window…
I didn’t expect that we’d be the only ones in the theater, but even with a “full” crowd (under the COVID policy), I think I would have felt safe. Once I choose seats, the system automatically blocked out two seats on either side of my party, and seats are only available in every other row. In our theaters, each person basically has a reclining armchair - I’d say that under even normal conditions, my face is at least 3’ from my neighbors’ faces, and with the COVID policy, I’d have 9’.
I feel pretty certain that you could have your choice of movies, if you’ll accept anything under, say, six people in the theater. But if worse comes to worst, you can always catch that Bollywood kids’ movie!