If more than 100 AMC cinemas reopen across the country on August 20, tickets will cost only 15 cents apiece – a big discount on the average cost of tickets for the Covid-19 pandemic.
The promotion of the opening is a nod to the price of a movie ticket when the chain first opened in the 1920s, and often a way to get audiences back in hardcore movie theaters. Throwback movies like “Grease” and “Back to the Future”, and in the weeks that follow, new releases like “Tenet” and “The New Mutant” will be available.
But with the pandemic still raging, is it safe to go to the movies?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, attending a movie theater and in a crowd is considered a high-risk activity, which means that the situation increases your risk of exposure to Covid-19.
AMC has announced several new safety measures, starting with mandatory masks for all moviegoers. AMC says, however, that you can remove your mask to eat or drink in the theater, which can be problematic because even for a short time, people can disperse respiratory drops in the theater. Covid-19 can also be transmitted by touching an infected object, and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Eating popcorn, candy and other concessions by hand further increases the potential for exposure.
AMC theaters will also only be filled at 30% capacity, and all other rows of seats will be set aside to guarantee social distance. Between shows, the entire auditorium will be sprayed with a disinfectant and surfaces with high touches will be cleaned. And AMC has upgraded HVAC systems with MERV 13 filters “where possible”, according to the theater’s website. These filters can reduce the spread of Covid-19, but they are short-lived.
However, even with these precautions, experts say that going to an indoor movie theater is risky. However, while wearing masks reduces the risk of transmission, it increases your risk of exposure hours alongside other people for hours inside. Air conditioning in cinemas may increase the transmission of respiratory droplets containing the Covid-19 virus.
In a risk assessment chart created by Texas Medical Association Covid-19 Task Force and Committee on Infectious Diseases, “going to the movies” was rated “high risk,” along with eating at a buffet, exercising in a gym, attending a concert and go to an amusement park.
Some states with AMC theaters will remain closed until authorized to do so by state and local officials. For example, AMC locations in New York, California and Florida will not open this month.
It would be safer to watch a movie in an outdoor theater, Drs. Ravina Kullar, a Los Angeles-based infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist and spokeswoman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America told CNBC on June 25. cinemas have seen a comeback this summer during the pandemic, as they allow guests to enjoy movies from a distance without leaving their car.
The CDC recommends that you take 14 days of extra precautionary measures when engaging in high-risk activity, such as going to the cinema, including staying home as much as possible and avoiding contact with people who may be at higher risk of disease. Covid-19 and be tested.
AMC is the largest cinema chain in the United States. Before the pandemic, AMC faced more than $ 4.75 billion in debt, CNBC reported earlier. In July, AMC struck a debt deal that would reduce its debt by $ 640 million, and remain open through 2021.
Yet not everyone is convinced that cinemas will survive the pandemic. NBA Hall-of-Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who once invested in movie theaters, told CNBC Make It that he doubted it. “I do not know how they will come back,” he told CNBC Make It on August 3.
See a list of theaters reopening here.
AMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC Make It.
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