For the first time in almost a year, filmmaker-operator Nicolas Nicolaou in New York can breathe a sigh of relief. This is because Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that cinemas in the five districts could reopen from next month, a possible postponement for a sector of the entertainment industry shrouded by the coronavirus pandemic.
Nicolaou owns three theaters in the city – Cinema Village in Manhattan, Alpine Theater in Brooklyn and Cinemart Cinemas in Queens. Due to damage by frozen pipes, he does not expect the premises to reopen until April 2. If he can turn on the tent’s lights again, his locations will work at 25%, or 50 people per auditorium – which means it’s almost impossible to make money. Still, he says he is grateful for the opportunity to welcome customers to what he calls ‘the worst year of my life’.
“With a capacity of 25%, you can not work profitably,” he says. But he plans to start his business again anyway, because he feels it will be proof that coronavirus cannot be returned to cinemas. He adds: “We will hopefully be allowed to work at 50% within a reasonable time, which makes economic sense.”
The approval that the movie theaters in New York could reopen is more important than the Big Apple. While multiplexes have closed in the most populous city in the country, studios have been forced to postpone their biggest movies – or send them to streaming services. While the news does not necessarily mean that big movies will soon greet the big screen (theaters in Los Angeles, another mega-movie market, remain closed and cinemas that have reopened elsewhere are mostly empty), many still consider it a positive development the battered film industry.
“This is a very important piece of the puzzle,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “It will hopefully encourage studios to bring their big movies to the fore. I do not want to be too Pollyanna, but it at least gives us a chance to be normal again. ”
For larger cinema chains, such as AMC Theaters, it is more realistic to reopen within two weeks despite the short turnaround. AMC, which has the largest footprint in the country, plans to reopen all 13 venues in NYC on March 13th. Adam Aron, the company’s CEO, said on Monday that the decision was a further important step in restoring the health of the movie theater industry. ”
In line with protocols at other AMC locations, he says NYC premises will adhere to the AMC Safe & Clean policy, which includes: “social distance and automatic seat blocking in each auditorium, mandatory mask wear, and upgraded MERV-13 air filtration air filters, as well as many other important health, sanitation and cleanliness efforts. ”The National Association of Theater Owners, the main lobby group of the film exhibition industry, noted that cinemas nationwide have been operating” safely and responsibly “at higher capacity limits for many months without any outbreaks of COVID-19.
Regal Cinemas and Cinemark, the second and third largest circuit in the country, will not be affected by the announcement. All Regal locations have been closed since September and will only reopen before studios release more franchise movies. And Cinemark has no venues in the city.
Alamo Drafthouse, a smaller chain known for dining in the theater, intends to reopen its Brooklyn space in the immediate future. It is unclear how theaters in New York City, institutions such as Angelika, Film Forum, IFC Center or Metrograph, independently owned, intend to operate. For many, staying closed is more financially viable.
A spokesman for Alamo Drafthouse said: ‘We do not believe we will pick it up on March 5 – there is a lot to do – but we look forward to reopening City Point [in Brooklyn] as soon as possible, and we will make a lot of noise if we do. ”
Pushing projectors down is only half the battle. There is also the issue of letting people go to the movies.
Before the pandemic, New York resident Stephanie Walls visited movie theaters with the same compulsion that could inspire one to climb into a bodega in the winter. If she were just walking to a theater, she would check the show times and buy a ticket on a grill. This is partly how the 34-year-old ‘Black Panther’ came to watch the revelation of the Marvel series in 2018 seven times a week.
But despite her deep and almost reflective love of movie, Walls has no plans to return anytime soon. She has not yet received any doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and even if she does, she expects to be wary of resuming her old lifestyle.
“I do not know if I trust in how the country proceeded with the pandemic,” Walls said. “I can only control what I do and make sure I have the least possible exposure.”
Brooklyn resident Drew Katz, 24, says he went to the movies twice a month and estimates he saw “everything.” Now, he says, nothing but a vaccine will make him go back.
“There’s no way to know if the air filtration is working,” he says. “No distance will convince me that it’s safe to sit in a room with 49 other people for two hours.”
Juan Manangon, who lives in Brooklyn and interrupted his AMC Stubs A-List subscription, admits he is unsure how to feel about reopening theaters. “I want it to be in the Before Times, but it will not be,” said the 39-year-old media researcher. “If I decided to go, I would wait a few weeks to see what people were saying – reviews on health protocols and how the city is doing in terms of infection rates.”
It’s less hazy for 35 – year – old Matt Parker. He will return first before being vaccinated. “It’s simply not worth worrying about the risk,” he says. “We’ve been going with sacrifices for so long. [I] have to go through it so it was worth it. ”
Brooklynite Antonio Harris, on the other hand, does not hesitate. He regards the return to cinemas as a restoration of ‘some kind of normality’. With theaters in the districts closed, he travels to Jersey City to make amends – three times he sees ‘Promising Young Woman’.
“There was never anyone,” he says. “It was a horrible feeling, but I was okay that it was empty. It was a relief. ”
He told himself he would not give in to concession snacks, but in the end, the allure of buttery popcorn was too provocative to refuse. “I had to get it,” said the 24-year-old, a recruiting coordinator at a technology company. When he was not feasting on popcorn, he made sure he stayed double-masked.
Brennan Jackson, 25, also says he’s excited to see the movies on the big screen again. He plans to buy a ticket on March 5 for Disney’s animated adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon,” the day theaters in New York City can reopen. “It’s a sign that things are slowly but surely starting to get back to normal,” he says. He has not been vaccinated yet, but according to him, the precautions are enough to make him feel safe. He compares a trip to the movies as the same level of risk as going to the grocery store.
“If there was no capacity limit for theaters, I would not want to go,” he says. “But it’s good for me to see them limited to 50 people.”
“Honestly,” he continues, “I have to go somewhere after being alone for a whole year.”
Nicolaou, the theater owner, hopes other New Yorkers feel equally uneasy. In the decades he has owned his seats, he has kept ticket prices low to ensure residents of all financial backgrounds can afford a movie stump. Even with less foot traffic, he plans to charge lower rates.
He acknowledges that this can be a slow process. And although the virus is still spreading in the United States, Nicolaou remains optimistic that the country will emerge from the global health crisis by complying with the pandemic safety guidelines provided by scientists.
“We have to listen to Fauci,” he says. “He’s from Brooklyn.”