S. F. cinemas: Major movie theaters decide to remain shuttered because of concessions prohibition.
Walk just a few hundred feet across San Francisco’s southern city limit and you can buy a box of popcorn and go to a movie at the Century Daly City 20.
But within city limits, that won’t be happening any time soon.
In reaction to Mayor London Breed’s ban on concession sales, the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/ Nevada agreed unanimously on Wednesday, Oct. 7, that their theaters in San Francisco will not reopen. The theater owners say the ban is “economically impossible.”
That includes big chains like AMC Theatres, Landmark Theatres, Cinemark and Alamo Drafthouse. Independent theaters such as the Lee Neighborhood Theatres ( 4 Star, Presidio, Marina), CinemaSF ( Balboa, Vogue) and the
Roxie Theater are not members of NATO of CA/ NV, but those theaters have not yet announced plans for reopening.
“We have two operations at our theaters,” Milton Moritz, president and CEO of NATO of CA/ NV, told The Chronicle by phone from Los Angeles. “One is movies, the other is concessions. We can’t do one without the other. And concessions are our profit center.”
On Sept. 29, San Francisco moved into California’s orange, or third tier of reopening, which reflects what’s considered a “moderate” spread of coronavirus cases, according to California’s fourcolor blueprint for recovery. That means movie theaters can reopen at 50% capacity or up to 200 people.
“We are opening core business functions to the greatest extent possible, which includes indoor movie theaters without concessions,” Joseph Sweiss, spokesman for the city and county of San Francisco’s COVID19 Command Center, told The Chronicle. “It is important we mitigate the higher risk of transmission when gathering with people outside their households in indoor settings for an extended period of time. The more people consistently wear their masks indoors, the safer we will all be.”
On Wednesday, the city permitted restaurants to reopen for indoor dining at 25% capacity or with 100 people, whichever is fewer. Theater owners argue that means concessions should be allowed to open at movie theaters.
“We understand what the city is trying to do,” Moritz said. “But on the same hand, treat us on a like situation. If indoor restaurants can open, what is the difference between them and us? In restaurants, you may be sitting across from each other 3 feet away, and when that mask goes down, it won’t go up again until you leave the restaurant.
“I’m not trying to take this out on poor restaurants, but why are we being put in a different position?”
Moritz says 40 counties in California have reopened theaters according to state guidelines with full concession sales. He claims no health department has traced a coronavirus transmission to a movie theater.
“Case studies and research are showing that virus transmissions greatly increase with indoor activities when people fail to consistently wear their masks, and in large social gatherings,” Sweiss said. “We need to ensure that as we progress with higherrisk indoor activities, we continue to closely monitor our health indicators and have the necessary resources to address new cases.”
Theaters have begun to open throughout the Bay Area in the past month. That includes those in San Mateo County, which is still in the red, or second tier, of reopening, reflecting what’s called substantial spread of coronavirus cases. In San Francisco, reopening slowly and with greater restrictions, the spread has been reduced to orange, or moderate.
“As we continue to reopen more sectors of the city, the cumulative risk of spreading the virus between people increases,” Sweiss said. “When we open, we want to do our best to sustain our progress. The city will continue to work with businesses and other stakeholders to create guidance that addresses their needs and gives them the first opportunity to offer feedback on policy that impacts them.”
Moritz, located in Los Angeles, readily admits that he doesn’t know what’s happening on the ground in the Bay Area. But he does know the movie business and the employees and management whose lives depend on its success are hurting.
“We’ve been closed for seven months,” he said. “We want to be safe. We think we’re ahead of the curve on protocol.”