Curtain set to rise on the big screen
not quite as strong as we’d wish it to be,’ says Clapp. Fresh titles are being added daily but to fill the gaps distributors have compiled more than 470 reissued classics, ranging from Alien, Blade Runner and the Harry Potter series to the Dark Knight trilogy and 2001: A Space Odyssey, to draw fans back to the big screen.
WILL THERE BE POPCORN?
Yes – but pick’n’mix is totally off the menu.
ARE FACE
MASKS CCW WITH CAN YOU YOUR SIT MANDATORY?
MATES?MA
No. There will be safety screens at concession stands and ticket offices. s. Most cinema chains will l likely ask their employees to wear masks and visors – mainly to reassure customers, who may be ‘encouraged’ to wear masks too (it’s up to the individual cinema). Contactless payment will be either obligatory or strongly preferred. There will be a hand sanitiser station at the entrance of every site. All sites will have ‘enhanced cleaning regimes’ and fewer performances per day to accommodate them.
HOW WILL SOCIAL DISTANCING WORK?
There could be a queuing system outside some cinemas, markers on the floor in the foyer and one-way systems in larger sites – eg, you come in one door and leave via what would normally be the fire exit to avoid pinch-points. For many multiplexes initially not all the screens will open to avoid crowds of people spilling out at the same time. Staff will be on hand to ‘support and advise’.
WYes, b but only if they’re already in your household. Otherwise Oh i there h will be a gap, typically of two empty seats, between each booked group. Some of the chains will insist you book ahead online and have developed software to factor in those emptyseat buffer zones. Either way, there will be allocated seating and staff in the auditoriums to ensure people stick to it. The latest move to 1m-plus distancing means most auditoriums will be able to use each row, but since social distancing is a 360degree thing you’re unlikely to have anyone sitting directly in front of you. That means no annoying head blocking your view: bonus!
IS THE FUTURE DRIVE-IN?
Yes, in the short term. ‘I’ve been in the job for 14 years,’ says Clapp, whose organisation represents over 90 per cent of UK cinema operators, ‘and until the last few weeks we’ve only had one drive-in member – who only lasted for one particularly wet summer.’ He considers that the huge surge of interest ‘will probably be difficult to sustain as we get to November and December. But it has opened people’s eyes to the potential of drive-in and open-air screenings’.
And anything that gets people excited about seeing movies on the big screen again is considered a good thing.
CAN CINEMA SURVIVE COVID?
‘Absolutely’, concludes Clapp. ‘When people are able to get out and about again they’re not going to say, “let’s stay in and watch Netflix.”’ Even so, he confirms that many smaller independent cinemas may face closure, unless restrictions are eased soon. ‘There’s a significant number, I wouldn’t like to say won’t emerge from this, but it will be a challenge.’
Local cinemas run mainly on a love of movies, so do consider buying or renewing your membership or simply donating – anything to prevent those final credits rolling.