LOS ANGELES – “Some people go to the gym. Some people go to church, ”Megan Colligan, president of Imax Entertainment, told a news conference on Friday to mark the reopening of theaters across much of the United States. “And some people really need to go to the movie.”
The film industry is holding its breath that it’s right.
For the first time since March, when the pandemic halted much of American life, the nation’s major multiplex chains are selling cards and serving popcorn again – though not in six states (New York, California, New Jersey, North -Carolina, Maryland) and New Mexico) where officials say it remains too dangerous.
To convince the rest of the country that filming is safe, Ms. Colligan and the executives of the four largest theater chains in the United States – AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Marcus Theaters and Regal Cinemas – appeared together via Zoom on Friday to announce uniform health protocols: mask requirements, limited capacity, no fitness stations, plexiglass partitions, and improved air filtration systems (or at least in working order).
Most of the protocols, including limiting capacity to 40 percent or 50 percent (depending on the chain), were already secretly announced by the companies. But consumer research, they said, indicated that moviegoers wanted to know that standards were uniform.
That they unveiled a campaign called CinemaSafe. More than 2,600 theaters operating more than 30,000 screens in the United States have signed up, according to the performers. Participating locations will display logos with a green label on a theater floor and the slogan “Your safety is our focus.”
The group also tried to position filming because it was no different from other public activities where many people were back, such as eating out in restaurants. Dr. Joyce L. Sanchez, an expert in infectious disease at Wisconsin Medical College, found that most movies run about 90 minutes to two hours.
“It’s pretty much like the time on a short-haul flight, which a lot of America does at this point,” she said at the news conference, which was organized by the National Association of Theater Owners, a trading group. Dr. Sanchez was not paid by the theater association to give her rating of CinemaSafe.
But what about maintaining mask (in the dark, no less)? Some airlines have put people out of flight when they refuse to wear masks.
“We’re already doing routine checks because movies are playing to make sure the sound and image quality are excellent,” Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, which owns Regal, said in a telephone interview earlier this week. ‘Those people will now look to see that people are wearing masks. These people will open an extra eye. ”
That responsibility could pose challenges for theater workers, some of whom are teenagers. Vendors have had trouble policing mask policies. In some cases, fights have erupted.
Mr Greidinger said his company had already opened all its theaters in Britain and other European countries and had experienced ‘very, very small arguments’. As for comfort for mask, he said, ‘I will not say it is the greatest. But after 10 minutes they will forget. ”
This weekend, film offerings include “Unhinged,” a thriller on the road with Russell Crowe, which will play in more than 1,800 theaters in the United States and Canada. Next Friday, an X-Men movie, “The New Mutants,” and a faith-based movie, “Fatima,” will be released. Christopher Nolan’s much anticipated “Tenet” arrives on September 3rd in the United States.
Film companies are desperate to resell tickets. Domestic ticket sales so far this year amount to $ 1.8 billion, a decrease of 76 percent from the same period in 2019.
However, Regal and its competitors make the most of their money on concessions. But is it a good idea to munch on popcorn – and remove the mask if you do – during a movie?
Mr. Greidinger said it was. After all, he noted, everyone’s mouths will be pointed in the same direction while chewing. And chewing (with the mouth closed) without a mask is considered safer than talking without one.
Dr Sanchez seemed less confident, saying they would encourage patrons to minimize food and drink during a screening. She found that respiratory droplets carrying the virus appeared to travel up to 16 feet.
“Going to the movies is not risk-free,” she said. But she has offered tips for anyone returning to a theater this weekend.
“Honor the people around you,” she said. ‘Speak up. Hold our film companies accountable for what they promise. “
