Let’s go to the movies
The coronavirus pandemic could end up bringing down the curtain on a century-old piece of Americana — the movie theater. An industry already struggling even before the COVID-19 outbreak now finds itself on the brink of collapse caused by months of closed theaters and uncertainty as to whether movie-goers will feel safe to return.
It would be a disheartening end to a piece of our social fabric that has kept us entertained and connected since the first Nickelodeon theater opened in Pittsburgh in 1905.
When the pandemic first closed theaters in mid-March, it seemed that the small, independent theaters would most be in danger of not reopening. But the fear has spread to the bigger chains as well.
AMC Theatres, the largest chain in the country with 661 locations, reported in a June 3 financial filing that the company had “substantial doubt” about staying in business once theaters reopened. The company estimated first-quarter losses of between $2.1 billion and $2.4 billion.
Theaters have seen declining attendance for more than a decade, brought on first by competition from movie rental outlets and now by the ever-growing availability of streaming services. Many have tried to lure people back with added amenities such as luxury seating and expanded food menus, but the pandemic closings compounded the already-challenging financial situation.
Theaters will be forced to reduce capacity and stagger starting times in order to maintain social distancing, moves that will reduce revenue potential. They also will have to deal with the delayed releases of many blockbuster-type movies that typically drive attendance, and the fact that some movies are now coming out on demand as well as in theaters. NBC Universal, for instance, opted to release its animated sequel “Trolls: World Tour” on streaming services during the pandemic and made more than $100 million from all those families willing to pay $20 for a viewing.
While things may seem bleak for the future of movie theaters, the industry is not going down without a fight.
Independent movies houses, often neighborhood theaters that offer foreign and independent films in addition to first-run movies, banded together in a fundraising effort to stay afloat during the pandemic. The ArtHouse America Campaign, which started with an initial donation of $50,000 from the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, has raised more than $842,000 to assist struggling independent theaters. Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville and the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley have been among the recipients.
And another major movie chain, Cinemark, announced that it would reopen U.S. theaters on June 19 with a host of measures to bring people back, including discounts and safety protocols such as disinfecting seats before each show and requirements for employees to wear masks.
The movie industry is hoping that with so much isolation caused by the pandemic, people will be eager to share the movie-going experience once more. Writer-director Christopher Nolan, in an op-ed in The Washington Post, said: “When this crisis passes, the need for collective human engagement, the need to live and love and laugh and cry together, will be more powerful than ever. The combination of that pent-up demand and the promise of new movies could boost local economies and contribute billions to our national economy.”
The fate of movie theaters in many ways now rests in the hands of the consumer. The wonder of sitting in a darkened theater with other theatergoers and watching a story unfold on the big screen is an experience worth saving.