Movies & Cinema during the Pandemic? Catch-all Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

I really want to be able to see Tenet on the big screen. Knowing how Nolan makes his films, it will not be the same on my 40 inch TV with stereo sound. I'm not knocking my TV, which is good, but as we all know, Nolan makes his films to be seen in the theater. And I love going to my theater. Before theaters were closed, there was rarely a weekend on the calendar when I didn't go to something. I will be delighted when I am able to safely return to a movie theater.

That being said, I suspect I will feel more comfortable going to a theater at a time later than July. I won't make a final decision until it's actually out and I actually have to, but if you asked me right now, I wouldn't be sure I felt comfortable. They will make it easier for me to decide to see it if it's pushed, than if they eep it in July. Same scenario with Disney and Mulan.

We've already seen a huge spike in cases here this week, and the protests aren't even two weeks old yet. I'm not sure I even want to imagine what the number is like two weeks from now once people who caught the virus at protests start noticing that they're ill. How the industry can believe that it is safe to restart in July I do not understand. If Tenet opens on time and then there is another big surge of cases at the beginning of August from all the people who went to see it, that's game over for the industry for a long time. I don't know how they would recover from something like that. So it's better to hold it than it is to risk it, in my opinion, if I were Warner Bros. But they haven't asked me.

Nolan is one the few - and maybe the only - filmmakers who'll get me to go somewhere other than AMC for a movie!

Since I have A-List, I prefer AMC for obvious financial reasons, but my local LieMAX screen ain't the same as the real IMAX at the Smithsonian.

For movies shot IMAX digital, it doesn't matter as much, but 65mm IMAX? I need that on the real screen!

IF "Tenet" opens next month and IF it plays at the Smithsonian - which remains closed - I'll be curious to see how they handle seating since it's not reserved.

I think they'll have to block off seats, or have staff make sure people distance.

I suspect "distanced seating" will be easier to handle at reserved theaters, as I would think they can set up the software to make sure too-close-together seating isn't allowed...

 

[TravisR]

As recently as yesterday NATO has been saying that they expect 90% of theaters to be open by the time Tenet opens in July.

Movie theaters predicted to be at 90% operation globally by release of 'Tenet' in July

Christopher Nolan's planned blockbuster may be opening at a time when the theatrical industry is almost back to normal, or at least a new semblance of normal.

www.syfy.com

That's entirely dependent on Tenet coming out though. I have no doubt that the theaters will open if Tenet comes out in July but if it doesn't, they're not going to open because there will be nothing to play.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

That's entirely dependent on Tenet coming out though. I have no doubt that the theaters will open if Tenet comes out in July but if it doesn't, they're not going to open because there will be nothing to play.

You don't think "Unhinged" will become the 2nd coming of "Titanic"?

 

[TravisR]

You don't think "Unhinged" will become the 2nd coming of "Titanic"?

"I might get or spread a potentially fatal disease but I reeeally want to see Unhinged."- No one. Ever.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I'll be curious to see how they handle seating since it's not reserved.

Oh, I think this is going to change over a lot of the theaters that were not previously doing reserved seating so that they are now. I've been going to my local art house for almost four years and they've never once had reserved seating prior to the pandemic, but they have already made it known that they will be doing reserved seating going forward for whenever they reopen. I intensely dislike reserved seating for reasons I've explained on the board well before the pandemic, so this doesn't excite me very much, but I concede why they feel it is necessary in this particular situation.

 

[Jake Lipson]

The latest information from LA County confirms 1,523 new cases of coronavirus and 25 new deaths. This brings L.A. County’s total to 63,844 positive cases and 2,645 deaths.

LISTING OF DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRESS RELEASES

publichealth.lacounty.gov

But, film production in California will be allowed to resume beginning June 12. And Tenet is still on the schedule for July 17 despite LA being one of the largest moviegoing cities in the country.

I want things to go back to normal as much as anyone. But with these kinds of numbers, I don't get how that is possible.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The latest information from LA County confirms 1,523 new cases of coronavirus and 25 new deaths. This brings L.A. County’s total to 63,844 positive cases and 2,645 deaths.

LISTING OF DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRESS RELEASES

publichealth.lacounty.gov

But, film production in California will be allowed to resume beginning June 12. And Tenet is still on the schedule for July 17 despite LA being one of the largest moviegoing cities in the country.

I want things to go back to normal as much as anyone. But with these kinds of numbers, I don't get how that is possible.

Obviously, it appears the decision has been made to live with the spikes to a certain level. What that spike level is that will force states and municipalities to revert back to closing things down again is unknown at this time.

 

[TravisR]

Obviously, it appears the decision has been made to live with the spikes to a certain level. What that spike level is that will force states and municipalities to revert back to closing things down again is unknown at this time.

I think it will have to be about 10 trillion people dead. The lockdown is Pandora's Box- now that it's open, you're never getting people back in again.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think it will have to be about 10 trillion people dead. The lockdown is Pandora's Box- now that it's open, you're never getting people back in again.

Perhaps as we move forward for better or worse.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think it will have to be about 10 trillion people dead. The lockdown is Pandora's Box- now that it's open, you're never getting people back in again.

The problem is that it worked. And rather than people going, “It’s really dangerous out there, and that lockdown saved millions of lives,” people instead are acting as if the death toll we did experience was the worst it could have possibly been and decided it wasn’t that bad. They’re saying “why should we shut down, the virus wasn’t here” completely neglecting the idea that the only reason the virus didn’t come to them was because things were shut down. The lockdown is about to become victim to its own success.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

As existing new inventory is becoming played out, Universal is offering drive-ins two Amblin double feature options: either Jaws and Jurassic Park or E.T. and Jurassic Park -- the closest drive-in to me is going with the latter this weekend. Universal's "new" release option for drive-ins this weekend is a double feature of The King of Staten Island, which is going straight to VOD this weekend, and The Invisible Man, which hit theaters in late February, a couple weeks before everything shut down.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This kind of thing is why Warner hasn't moved Tenet yet:

California Movie Theaters Could Reopen on June 12 With 25% Capacity

Movie theaters in California could begin re-opening as early as June 12 under strict proposed guidelines that have been issued.

variety.com

I miss movie theaters and I want to see Tenet, but I do not want to have to make a choice between seeing it and maintaining my health. Warner Bros. has a much higher chance of getting my money if they push the film back. But recommendations such as this are feeding their idea that they can stick to the July date.

 

[TravisR]

This kind of thing is why Warner hasn't moved Tenet yet:

California Movie Theaters Could Reopen on June 12 With 25% Capacity

Movie theaters in California could begin re-opening as early as June 12 under strict proposed guidelines that have been issued.

variety.com

I miss movie theaters and I want to see Tenet, but I do not want to have to make a choice between seeing it and maintaining my health. Warner Bros. has a much higher chance of getting my money if they push the film back. But recommendations such as this are feeding their idea that they can stick to the July date.

I realize that, as of now anyway, this is only California but how do theaters not lose money by only having 25% capacity? They could be open 24 hours and not turn a profit. They'd literally do better financially by staying closed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Easy. It's not the commission's job to ensure that the theaters make money. It's their job to come up with guidelines for if the theaters want to open. If they can't make it work financially with the guidelines such as they are -- and I think you are right that that would be difficult -- no one is actually making them open up. But the development of such guidelines have to be encouraging Warner to stick with their current plans for Tenet, whereas if they weren't coming out with any plans for how theaters could reopen, then WB would have no choice but to pull the film.

 

[TravisR]

Also, I'd imagine that it's 25% right now but coincidentally when the bulk of theaters will actually reopen in mid-July, it will be at 50%.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't want to get political here, so I'm going to thread the needle very carefully with this post. But the virus is a virus. It is completely apolitical and doesn't care about the protests currently going on around the country, so it isn't on hold just because people are protesting. I think that in a week or two, were going to see a significant spike in cases from people who have been leaving their houses to protest realizing that they are now sick. When that happens, hospitals will be overwhelmed, and we may end up back where we were a couple months ago, if not worse. I'm not making any sort of value judgment on the protests here, just stating that the virus isn't doing that, either. And if that is the case, what happens to the reopening plans? As Travis noted, it will be difficult to get people to abide by a second lockdown after they have been allowed back out, but a significant spike in cases only increases the risk being taken by going to the theater.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't want to get political here, so I'm going to thread the needle very carefully with this post. But the virus is a virus. It is completely apolitical and doesn't care about the protests currently going on around the country, so it isn't on hold just because people are protesting. I think that in a week or two, were going to see a significant spike in cases from people who have been leaving their houses to protest realizing that they are now sick. When that happens, hospitals will be overwhelmed, and we may end up back where we were a couple months ago, if not worse. I'm not making any sort of value judgment on the protests here, just stating that the virus isn't doing that, either. And if that is the case, what happens to the reopening plans? As Travis noted, it will be difficult to get people to abide by a second lockdown after they have been allowed back out, but a significant spike in cases only increases the risk being taken by going to the theater.

There is going to be a significant spike even without those events as people are just being careless again like the virus is done. Not this dude, I'm still sheltering myself and acting like we're still in phase one of this pandemic.

 

[Tino]

I fear it will always be phase one for me.

 

[TravisR]

And if that is the case, what happens to the reopening plans? As Travis noted, it will be difficult to get people to abide by a second lockdown after they have been allowed back out, but a significant spike in cases only increases the risk being taken by going to the theater.

I think the only thing that might get shut down by the new surge will be movie theaters and even that's entirely dependent on Warners. If they release Tenet, movie theaters will open no matter what is happening with the virus and no matter what capacity they have to abide by. I'd say other large gatherings like concerts, theater and sporting events would be affected but by and large, they're not happening anyway.

 

[Sam Favate]

Protests aside, we are seeing significant spikes in cases in states that have reopened, specifically Texas. Other states like Arizona and North Carolina are seeing their highest numbers yet. I completely understand the frustration people have with staying home and not being able to go to restaurants, sporting events and the like, but we have to hold out longer, or else this is going to last longer. I've essentially been in the house with the wife and kids for 90 days. I'd love a return to normalcy, but we're not there. (Bizarrely, there is a small segment of the population who still thinks this is a hoax. My wife's brother-in-law thinks so, which made my father-in-law say to him "You do realize that more than 100,000 people have died, right?")

We need to be smart about this. And for those of us who won't be smart, we need strict rules in place.