Movie theaters around the state – and in many other states across the country – shut down this spring as part of a society-wide effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Local theaters started reopening this summer, after the governor gave them the green light, but it’s hardly been back to normal for them.
It’s been a strange year for the movie industry. Audiences have been skittish about returning to theaters, and Hollywood movie houses have delayed releasing their blockbuster titles for fear of a box office flop. That’s left cinema operators stuck to try and solve a kind of chicken-and-egg puzzle: what comes first, the movie or the audience?
Shannon Hudon took over as general manager of the Gilford Cinema 8 when it re-opened in July. She said regular patrons have been grateful to see the doors open again, if only on the weekend.
“Our customers are happy that we’re back, we have customers that come back faithfully every week,” Hudon said. Audience members are asked to wear masks when not in their seat, and every other row of seats is taped off to encourage social distancing. Even with capacity cut in half, they still start the show with many tickets left over, she said.
“We’re not doing as well as we expected, but we’re doing OK,” Hudon said. “A lot of the new movies have been pushed back to next year. That’s not been helping the situation.”
Albert Waitt, director of operations for Smitty’s Cinemas, agreed.
“Businesswise, we are doing 20 to 25% of what we normally would do, which is brutal from a viability standpoint,” Waitt said. Smitty’s operates three theaters in Maine and one in Tilton. He said that over Labor Day Weekend, normally a busy weekend, the chain of theaters collectively sold as many tickets as they normally would each have sold individually.
Waitt said that his theaters are safe places to visit. As soon as they shut down, he said, his company started training managers to the standard of practices known as “CinemaSafe,” developed by the National Association of Theater Owners. The practices include things that most members of the public will be familiar with by now: social distancing, masking requirements and hand sanitizer kiosks. There are other measures behind the scenes, too, such as enhanced cleaning with disinfectants and attention to HVAC filtration systems.
“The most important thing to us is making sure our staff and customers are safe,” Waitt said. “There’s a lot of expense that went into that. When you factor that in with the level of business, that makes it difficult to operate.”
That extra expense is worthwhile, especially if it makes audiences feel comfortable enough to return to the cinema. Right now, though, said Waitt, it’s only the movie buffs that have come in to see what theaters are doing. The casual audience member is staying away – and Waitt suspects they’ll continue to stay away until they’re tempted by a compelling film.
Yet, the titles that might tempt the average person aren’t being released right now. And it’s easy to see why.
Warner Brothers took a gamble by releasing “Tenet” for Labor Day Weekend. The film earned $20 million in North American theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which also noted that the film had a production budget of $200 million. A big reason why it didn’t earn more was because only about 65% of American theaters were open for its release.
Waitt said it’s not just how many theaters are open, but where. If a movie can’t be shown in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, then it isn’t likely to be released, which hurts the theaters that are open for business.
“It’s really a Catch-22,” Waitt said. “We have our solid base of regular customers who come to Smitty’s and see the protocols that we’re taking so that they’re safe.”
The problem, he said, is that those who aren’t coming don’t see those protocols.
“There’s not been the release of a movie that has wide-ranging appeal that will drive people to the theaters,” Waitt said. “Our problem is, we’ve taken all these safety measures and people are starting to learn that it’s safe to come to the theater, but the content isn’t there that would bring them there unless they're a real movie person.”
In one bright spot, Smitty’s has found success with private theater rentals. People who want the cinema experience but don’t feel comfortable sharing the space with people they don’t know can book a screening exclusive to them and whoever they want to invite. Smitty’s dropped its rate to offer a pandemic special: $250 to rent a theater to watch any film they’re currently screening, or you can bring your own DVD, and you can have all the soda and popcorn you want.
“We’ve had a lot of people taking advantage of that. Not only is it really fun, it’s extremely safe,” Waitt said.
BarnZ’s in Meredith is also offering private theater rentals, though the Gilford Cinema 8 isn’t.
Without the usual blockbusters, cinemas have been relying on a mix of independent films and some old favorites. Waitt said “Bill and Ted Face the Music” was a surprise hit, and a screening of the original “Jurassic Park” was also a success. This weekend, the cinemas in Gilford and Meredith are screening “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” in honor of its 40th anniversary.
“Some movies are just way better on the big screen,” Waitt said.
Smitty’s is cutting back its hours to weekends only, Waitt said. He added that he figures that the business will be able to sustain through the end of the year at its current pace, and that he hopes 2021 will bring more favorable conditions.
“We want to be as safe as we can, because we want to be there when this turns around,” Waitt said.
Hudon echoed his sentiment.
“We are open, we would love to have people here,” she said. “We are keeping people safe and friendly and happy when they come in.”
September 26, 2020 at 04:07AM
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Cinemas have been open all summer, but without the blockbusters - The Laconia Daily Sun
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