WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. – The doors to the AMC Waterfront 22 were locked. They had been five months, along with most indoor theaters in the US due to COVID-19. But in 20 minutes it was about to change and four people in masks were already gathered outside the theater 8 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in eager anticipation. They were there to see the Vin Diesel movie “Bloodshot” for 15 cents a ticket. After so many months, 20 extra minutes did not seem to wait that long.
The lights began to slowly return to theaters nationwide Thursday with AMC Theaters, the country’s largest chain, leading the charge.
AMC Entertainment Group AMC,
opened some 113 locations in the US, advertising retro awards and retro screens to lure audiences back to the movies. Regal, the second largest exhibitor and owner of Cineworld Group CINE,
, follows Friday Friday. It has been a long time coming for the beleaguered companies, who had several false startups due to coronavirus spikes.
When the doors to the West Homestead Theater finally opened, masked staff stood in the foyer to greet patrons and help them navigate the new security protocols inside, where masks are required (except for food and beverage concessions) and the sick are asked to stay home. Unfortunately, the number of customers had doubled and at the time, there was a steady stream of people of all ages coming through the doors ready to experience the big screen again.
‘My son and I counted the days until it reopened. We love coming to the movie. That’s why we’re here, ”said Betty Gallagher. “And 15 cents today, so that was another incentive.”
The “prices of the 1920s” were a major sign for most of those early customers. One 58-year-old man, Jerome Heslin, said he had not been to a theater in more than 40 years, but the award got him back.
“It’s a fun thing to do,” Heslin said.
After opening day, the back catalog movies from “Black Panther” to “Grease” cost $ 5 per ticket.
For others, it had something to do with their children. Leslie Lopez came out with her 5-year-old daughter to watch the live action “Beauty and the Beast,” as did Lindsey Adams with her 3-year-old, covered in Belle’s gold ball gown.
No one was worried about COVID-19.
“We have our masks and our hand sanitizer and we take our precautions,” Adams said. “We’m sure the theater did everything they could.”
There was a bit of a learning curve for some protectors when it came to the new protocols for safety and social distance. Some walked with masks down through their chin (an employee soon approached them to ask them to cover their faces). Others were surprised that concessions were only cash. And at least one family was very disappointed to find out that the movie they wanted to see had already sold out.
But others had already mastered the art of ordering concessions online, such as Eileen Nucci and her husband, who simply told employees their name and got their food and mugs in a paper shop.
“It was easy,” Nucci said. “We’re just happy to be here.”
They were not alone. Even without a new movie in the bundle, within 30 minutes 17 of the 20 showtimes were sold out and all that was left were a few tickets for “The Goonies,” “Jumanji: The Next Level” and the Christian movie “I Still Believe” . Tickets for “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Back to the Future” were gone for days.
However, a sellout is not exactly what it used to be. AMC only sells up to 30% capacity, which at this location means about 25 people per screen. Each movie only gets two screens a day to give employees room for cleaning. And showtimes are also staggering to prevent too many people from gathering in the lobby.
However, new movies are soon to follow, making the theaters count on survival. Disney’s much delayed “New Mutants” will debut on August 28th. Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” will follow shortly thereafter, with some screenings already on August 31st.
At least one patron was a little reticent about coming back.
‘I did not know for sure if I wanted that, but then I saw them’ The Empire Strikes Back ‘, one of my favorites of the time, and I’m like,’ I’ll see how bad it is with the mask. It’s just a few hours, ” Jason Parks said.
It’s been a few years since he saw the “Star Wars” movie on the big screen. He even wore his Luke and Father light saber fight t-shirt for the occasion.
But he is still not entirely sure if he will run to the theater again soon.
“It all depends on how I feel today,” Parks said. “If this is a little too much, maybe not, but right now it’s not too bad.”
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