'I was outnumbered by the popcorn sellers': cinema-going around the world in the Covid era
Are you sitting comfortably? After a month or two of stuttering, cinemas in all regions of the UK have joined thousands in Europe and Asia in reopening. A study published on Thursday found around 48% of venues are operational again, although most across Africa, the US and South America remain shuttered.
In most, masks are mandatory, likewise socially distanced seating and buckets of hand sanitiser. What would once have seemed extraordinary demands appear to have been embraced by exhibitors. All signs suggest that cinemas are going above and beyond to reassure the public they can be safe as well as entertained.
Whether customers are convinced is crucial, and urgent. For cinemas’ apparent optimism does not seem to be shared by studios. Earlier this week, Warner Bros’ plans for Tenet – on which many placed great faith for a summer rescue – were put on ice in territories such as the US.
A yet bigger blow came with the news that the eagerly expected liveaction Mulan remake will premiere not in cinemas but on Disney’s streaming network, Disney+, with subscribers asked to pay an additional $29.99 (£23) for the privilege.
Unless picture-houses can get enough bums comfortably back on seats, it’s hard not to interpret Mulan’s move as a harbinger of what is to come. The fate of big-screen film-going as we have known it rests, therefore, in the hands of exhibitors.
With that in mind, we asked writers from around the world to take the temperature of their local cinema. Did it feel safe? Fun? Was anyone else there? And was that a plus or a minus?
Catherine Shoard ‘One cough, 90 minutes in. It was the maskless man’
Stuart Heritage at the Cineworld Ashford, Kent, UK.Proxima, 4 August, 1.20pm
First impressionsNormal, apart from loads of “Watch this space” placeholder posters and a cordoned-off pick and mix station.
Other peopleFour people in the screening (so roughly double the amount of people I would expect to see at a Tuesday-lunchtime screening of a French film about a female astronaut). All men, one maskless.
Health and safetyPlexiglass barriers, hand sanitiser, test-and-trace details taken. A smattering of “keep left” signs.
CoughingOne cough, 90 minutes in. It was the maskless man.
VerdictWearing a mask for two hours isn’t ideal, but it didn’t feel weird to me – I’ll be back for Tenet. Still, I won’t be taking my kids any time soon. ★★★★
‘Customers must pay to wash their hands’
Anne Billson at the UGC Antwerp, Belgium.Le Mans 66, 3 August, 7.30pm
First impressionsAlmost deserted; no queues or rowdy groups. But not so different from Monday night before lockdown.
Other peopleTwo bad boys at the
back without masks; four other socially distanced spectators and I wore masks throughout.
Health and safety Perspex screens between touch-screen ticket machines (I also used a glove). Sanitiser everywhere. Alas, Belgian multiplex policy is to charge for toilet facilities, so customers must pay to wash their hands. Arrows all over the floor; place almost deserted, so I ignored them. Coughing None.
Verdict Reassuring up to a point; I will continue to avoid crowded screenings, and be ready to walk out if I don’t feel safe. It also felt wonderful. Going to the cinema is necessary for my wellbeing, so my world is back on an even keel, albeit with face masks.
★★★★
‘My mum paid by cheque and the cinema had a stamp on hand’
Phil Hoad at the Cinéma Arlequin Club, Nyons, France. Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive, 4 August, 7.30pm
First impressions French cinemas have been open for six weeks, so there are some new releases. But I don’t recognise a single actor or director among them. It’s a brave new world.
Other people Unusually for a summer night, very few. No one in the foyer, and just three stragglers with me, my wife and my mum in our screening.
Health and safety No need to book tickets in small-town France. My mum paid by cheque. Sanitary gel at entry and at the snack bar; plastic screens at all counters. Too small for a one-way system.
Coughing One regulation nervous cough at the start of the film.
Verdict The latecomers seated themselves a bit close for comfort. Usher placement of punters would be nice, though good luck enforcing that in France. It was all highly un-weird – as if I’d never left. The cinema had a flash sale of the year’s posters in the foyer (apparently a normal thing, and not to pad out revenue), so French cinephilia is obviously unharmed. Vive le cinéma! ★★★★
‘Seating is no longer socially distanced due to zero domestic transmission rates’
Brandon Kemp at the Huashan Cinema, Taipei, Taiwan. Perfect Blue (1997), 5 August, 5.40pm
First impressions Spirits were high. No cobwebs to speak of, as Taipei’s cinemas have remained open thanks to the country’s successful containment of Covid-19. Staff took customers’ temperatures and collected contact information. Other people Audience members wore masks throughout; seating is no longer socially distanced due to zero domestic transmission rates.
Health and safety Hand sanitiser was available.
Coughing None noticeable. Perhaps audiences are less on edge.
Verdict The experience attests to the government’s successful approach and high public trust and cooperation. ★★★★★
‘I was the only customer, so I removed my mask’
Ella Donald at Dendy Cinemas Coorparoo, Brisbane, Australia. Baby teeth ,4 August, 4.30pm
First impressions Things looked typical in the foyer until I realised I was the only non-employee present. An abundance of posters with since-abandoned dates. Other peopleI had the auditorium to myself so I removed my mask.
Health and safety I bought my ticket from a maskless seller at the counter. Sanitiser at the entrance, counter and hallway. Arrows on the floor to direct hoped-for crowds, but I roamed freely. Coughing I didn’t.
Verdict No hint of a crowd feels safe, but also worrying. Perhaps the cinema going habit has been broken? I felt safe and happy, but missed an enthusiastic Friday-night crowd.
★★★★
‘Without fellow spectators, it simply doesn’t feel like cinema’
John Bleasdale at the Space Cinema, Treviso, Italy. Dunkirk, 3 August, 6.30pm
First impressions Summer is traditionally a dry period for films in Italy, but the multiplex felt cavernously empty. Social distancing was clearly indicated, but I was outnumbered by the popcorn sellers. There were two.
Other people One other patron joined me during the screening, and sat miles away. We were both masked, as were the staff, who also wore gloves. The ushers were cheerful and told me this emptiness was typical – .
Hygiene Plastic barriers were in place and there was plenty of hand sanitisation. The one way system was easy to follow.
Coughing I coughed once, but it was covered by the din of Spitfires.
Verdict The Italians have got a handle on this. The system was serious and thorough, though the real test will come if and when the crowds return. I was happy to be back, but without fellow spectators, it simply doesn’t feel like cinema.
★★★★
‘One woman was in a complete plastic visor’
Peter Bradshaw at the Everyman Hampstead, London. Summer land ,4 August ,3 pm
First impressions Quiet foyer. An old poster for Sam Mendes’ 1917. The trailers were for films that were supposedly coming out in May. The cinema is surrounded by shops and offices which are closed, so there is a sense of dislocation. Cinema is usually part of a bustling streetscape.
Other people? About half a dozen other people in the auditorium, so social distancing worked fine. The manager made an introduction in a mask, all the staff were in masks, and the audience were “encouraged” to wear masks (with masks available in the foyer to those who wanted them). I wore my mask; I saw one woman in a complete plastic visor. But some didn’t wear a mask.
Health and safety Hand sanitisation on the way in. No one-way system, despite some quiet narrow passageways, although this may change for evening performances.
Coughing? No one coughed, but for glasses-wearers, wearing a mask is a problem because your glasses steam up, and I was always wiping mine. There will be a lot of fidgeting like this.
Verdict I would definitely go back, though it was very weird. Going to the cinema is one of the things we miss most.
★★★★★
‘I showed staff a screenshot from my last Beijing Health Check app update’
Marjorie Penny, Full Color Cinema, Beijing, China. Jojo Rabbit, 5 August, 8.30pm
First impressions The atmosphere was quiet, which is rare in Beijing. There was a single staff member at the desk for tickets and concessions, and just one poster, for Sonic the Hedgehog. When I first entered the auditorium, there was no one else present: the first time that has happened to me in China.
Other people Five other customers showed up in my 100-capacity auditorium (with every other seat cordoned off). Most in their mid-20s. Health and safety Yellow tape on the floor, hand sanitiser, permanent mask-wearing all round. The staff didn’t do a temperature check, but I showed them a screenshot from my last Beijing Health Check app update, showing a green check mark confirming that I have not registered a fever, nor have I travelled to any high-risk areas.
Coughing None.
Verdict I would go back, especially when I can see how many other people have already bought tickets on the booking app. It didn’t feel weird, it felt phenomenal.
★★★★★
‘The hushed intimacy felt preferable to crammed rows and noisy popcorn’
Dave Simpson, Zeffirelli’s, Ambleside, Cumbria, UK. Parasite, 5 August, 8.30pm
First impressions A slight ghost town feel permeated the entrance and an auditorium with no ushers. The bar/ foyer area was busier, a mix of cinemagoers and people enjoying an evening drink.
Other people With just nine other people in the audience, it felt like a private showing. Everyone was wellspaced and most wore masks on entrance, although most removed them after the film started.
Health and safety Sanitised seats – although the hand sanitiser on entering was empty. The one-way system was explained beforehand by on-screen presentation and I obeyed it the second time round, to retrieve a forgotten brolly.
Coughing Several violent coughing fits – but in the movie.
Verdict Initially, everything in the film sounded really loud, after months of smaller screens. But in general, the hushed intimacy of the experience felt preferable to crammed rows and noisy popcorn.
★★★★
‘I’m very wary of other patrons who don’t know enough to mask up’
Keno Katsuda, Aeon Cinema The atus Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. Spirited Away, 5 August, 3.30pm
First impressions We had no mandatory lockdown in Tokyo, so business has been relatively normal at the cinema. There were about as many patrons as usual for a midday, midweek screening. Other people The staff seemed just as friendly and chipper as usual. Many of them were busy wiping down every available surface nonstop.
Health and safety Tape on the floor to indicate social distancing in queues, a body heat-detecting camera at the entrance to the screens and hand sanitiser every few metres. Plastic sheeting between ticket machines. The booking system left only one seat open between each person so even though my screening wasn’t busy, I was sitting a little too close for my taste to an older man wearing no mask. I moved seats.
Coughing I didn’t hear any.
Verdict
I didn’t expect anything less than a stellar job in a country where customer service is so reliable and it was lovely to see a movie on the big screen again. But I’m very wary of other patrons who don’t know or care enough to mask up in this public space.
★★★★
‘The only droplets were my tears’
Oliver Laughland, Prytania Theatre, New Orleans, US. John Lewis: Good Trouble, 5 August, 4pm
First impressions The Prytania, New Orleans’ oldest functioning cinema, sits on a quiet street corner deep in the city suburbs. At any normal time, its bricked facade almost blends into the scenery, but now patrons are asked to wait outside, behind an indiscreet stanchion, as your mask is checked by staff. There’s no gathering allowed in the lobby, so you’re ushered into the screening room promptly and politely.
Other peopleI was the only cinemagoer in the building, so found myself surrounded by dozens of empty seats, enjoying my own de facto private screening.
Health and safetyDespite me being the only person there, the staff took hygiene and social distancing very seriously. Before entering the theatre I was asked to choose my chair on a seating chart that showed which were available for use (the cinema is operating at 25% capacity).
Coughing The only droplets during this screening came from my tears during the film, which felt all the more prescient given the Prytania was built at the turn of the 20th century in the midst of Jim Crow segregation in Louisiana.
Verdict I would go back in a heartbeat. In terms of assignments I’ve had during the pandemic, which include attending Donald Trump’s June rally in Tulsa in front of 6,000 non-mask wearing supporters, this felt positively normal and safe. It also made me realise how much I’ve missed the taste of freshly made salted popcorn.
★★★★★
‘I’ve been several times over the past few weeks’
Jason Bechervaise at the Megabox, Starfield Goyang, near Seoul, South Korea. Steel Rain 2:Summit, 29 July, 9.30am
First impressions There were others in the foyer buying tickets and getting popcorn, but not vast numbers – not unusual for a mid-morning screening. Many cinemas remained open in South Korea during the pandemic, and major releases are now returning. So far, it has been local fare (#Alive, Peninsula, Steel Rain 2), but posters for Tenet are also appearing.
Other people There were about 30 people in the auditorium, no one was sitting either side of me. Everyone was wearing a mask. Minimal staff on duty, one or two behind the counter.
Health and safety No plastic barriers, but there is a contactless temperature and mask checkpoint. Cinemas in Korea also readily adopt highly regulated heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems that can help prevent person-to-person exposure. Coughing None.
Verdict Cinemas appear safe. I’ve been several times over the past few weeks, and it doesn’t feel surreal any more.
★★★★★
‘Posters advertising pre-lockdown films added to the weird factor’
Heidi Scrimgeour at the Strand Arts Centre Belfast, Northern Ireland.The Empire Strikes Back, 5 August, 1.40pm
First impressions Eerily quiet – no families congregating noisily in the foyer. We expected Star Wars fans out in force, but it was just us and two staff members.
Other people Staff were warm and welcoming. There were only four other people watching the film, but there were empty rows between parties.
Health and safety The £1.50 booking fee was waived to encourage booking. We booked five tickets and confectionery (bottled drinks and bagged popcorn) online and collected on arrival. There was hand sanitiser at the entrance and Perspex barriers between staff and patrons. Staff cleaning after the film wore masks. Despite the tiny venue, the one-way system was seamless.
Coughing None.
Verdict We’d go again – and may choose this venue over a bigger, busier cinema. Posters advertising pre-lockdown films definitely added to the weird factor, but we had a very enjoyable afternoon.
★★★★★
‘I’d still rather do my movie-watching unmasked at home’
Graeme Virtue, Odeon Luxe Glasgow Quay, Scotland. Onward, 6 August, 1pm
First impressions A greeter in a face shield explains the new procedures at the door. In the entrance hall there are none of the usual posters for future attractions, but this Odeon was refurbished in late 2017 so the stripped-back look seems quite classy.
Other people Almost everyone was wearing a mask in the foyer. In a 100capacity afternoon matinee, there were about 20 adults and children with a rather more relaxed mask discipline.
Health and safety Plenty of hand sanitisation stations; face masks on sale for £1. A snaking but well-signposted one-way layout with plenty of space due to the large foyer.
Coughing None, and surprisingly little snacking noise.
Verdict Odeon Luxe cinemas have reclining seats so rows have always felt spacious. Glasgow Quay has been open since 15 July; staff clearly know their stuff and seem cheery. But, although sitting in a high-ceilinged, well-ventilated, mostly empty room was technically ideal I’d still rather do my moviewatching unmasked at home for now.
★★★★