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

[TravisR]

I honestly think that movie theaters will ultimately be safe for people going to them. However, since I would be literally risking people's lives on that assumption, I don't think opening them is the best idea.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Of culture? Yes. Of life? No.

Well, yeah. You can technically live and breathe and exist without some kind of culture and connection. But it would be awfully boring and I wouldn't want to do that. As soon as it is actually safe to go back to the movie theater, I am looking forward to doing that.

That being said, as I said in my original post, it's not safe yet, and I don't believe it will be safe until we have a vaccine. So, until then, I'm out. I hope the people who disagree and go sooner remain safe, but I suspect they will just make the situation worse. I really hope I'm wrong.

 

[Wayne_j]

Goonies and Gremlins at my local drive-in this coming weekend.

 

[Patrick Sun]

AMC is showing New Mutants on the weekend of the 28th of August, seating is limited to 30%.

 

[Malcolm R]

The theater I generally go to is opening next week with the following guidelines:

Firstly, all employees will be trained and made aware of State guidelines regarding the "Indoor Arts, Culture and Entertainment Sector" of State business operations.

We will require patrons to wear masks when inside the Cinema. This includes the lobby, hallways, bathrooms and individual theaters. Masks may only be removed when patrons are seated in their assigned seats and are eating or drinking.

Tickets (for the time being) may only be purchased at the Box Office counter inside the Cinema Lobby. Online ticketing is temporarily suspended. This is so that we may assign seats to individuals or small groups and prevent the selling of seats within a full row or within 3 seats distance to any other party.

Tickets may be purchased for future screenings and do not have to be purchased just before showtimes.

All theaters will only be allowed a maximum capacity of 50% and no greater than 75 people in the larger auditoriums. Individual theater capacities will be posted at the entrance to each theater.

Upon entering the Cinema, patrons will be greeted by an employee who will ask them to sign-in to our "guest book". Information required will be name, address and contact information. The employee will also ask a series of short questions which will include whether anyone in their party has recently been ill. The "greeter" will also determine whether our lobby has reached a maximum capacity. If so, patrons will be asked to wait outside until our lobby can accept more people.

After purchasing tickets at our Box Office counter, patrons will be directed to our Concession counter, via a roped walkway, or allowed to directly proceed to their assigned theater. We request that all Concession items be bought prior to the movie so that no one returns to the lobby.

Patrons will not be allowed back into the lobby once they have passed our ticket-taking station. Tickets will not be handled by our employees but we will direct patrons to their designated theater. After leaving the lobby, patrons are only allowed to access the hallway, bathrooms and their designated theater.

After the movie has finished, patrons are required to leave the Cinema through any non-lobby exit. There are two exits, one at each end of the Cinema along the main hallway. There are also exits in each theater which may be used.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate this new way of showing films inside the Cinema. We are all learning as we go.

At this time we plan to show the following movies:

INCEPTION (10th Anniversary Edition w/TENET preview and interview w/Christopher Nolan)
THE NEW MUTANTS
UNHINGED
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
FATIMA

Between August 31st and September 2nd we are hoping to show preview showings of TENET, which is scheduled to open September 3rd.

[This theater has 9 screens, so I presume some of the above will be in multiple rooms.]

 

[Wayne_j]

My personal opinion is that theaters are safer than Gyms but Gyms are more essential because of the health benefits of exercise.

 

[Sam Posten]

Don't go to theaters.

Movie theaters are opening, but is it safe to go? Experts say hell no

Russell Crowe's Unhinged is set to open in 44 states across the United States this week, but experts say going to an indoor movie theater is "the last thing" we should be doing during the coronavirus pandemic.

film.avclub.com

 

[TravisR]

Don't go to theaters.

Movie theaters are opening, but is it safe to go? Experts say hell no

Russell Crowe's Unhinged is set to open in 44 states across the United States this week, but experts say going to an indoor movie theater is "the last thing" we should be doing during the coronavirus pandemic.

film.avclub.com

I think Unhinged is worth the risk.

 

[Sam Posten]

Good luck with that. I'm not sure TENET is worth the risk and I can't wait for that.

 

[TravisR]

Good luck with that. I'm not sure TENET is worth the risk and I can't wait for that.

Yeah, it'll only metaphorically kill me to not see Tenet immediately but it may literally kill if I see Tenet in a theater.

 

[Tino]

I think Unhinged is worth the risk.

This is a joke right? Sometimes I can’t tell.

 

[TonyD]

The importance people put on going to the movies is insane.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Same for bars and other leisure activities.

 

[usrunnr]

We're staying home. No movie theaters for us. Or legit theaters for that matter.

Watched "Trash" from Brazil (excellent) this week, and

"Harriett" (should have been the best picture academy award winner).

Took another look at Cuaron's "Roma" and loved it just as much as the first time.

Also saw "The Good Liar" with Mirren and McKellen and Tovey.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Going to the movies is extremely important to me. I can't wait until it is safe to do so again.

But I want to stay alive to see a bunch of movies in theaters for years to come. So if I were to go see Tenet and get the virus and die from it, then I'm not going to be around to see those other movies later. Seeing Tenet is worth something, but it's not worth being the last movie I'm ever going to see in a theater. I view staying home at present as saving myself to be able to continue to go to the movies whenever this virus is finally over with and we have a vaccine.

In the meantime, I'm out.

 

[TravisR]

This is a joke right? Sometimes I can’t tell.

Definitely.

 

[TravisR]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Going to the movies is extremely important to me.

I've even contemplated buying all the tickets for a show so I can see Tenet by myself. That must be safer but I imagine that it's still not entirely safe. Not to mention that even at 25% capacity, I'd have to buy like 30 tickets which is way more money than I'd spend.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I've even contemplated buying all the tickets for a show so I can see Tenet by myself.

I still wouldn't feel comfortable doing that because you don't know who was in there for the showing before your buyout. Someone else was sitting in that seat before you did, and that person might be sick without knowing it.

I wish it wasn't like this and WB would push the film to next summer. But they're allowing Nolan to call the shots and he wants it to come out. Since they're putting it out, I have resigned myself to seeing Tenet on Blu-ray. I will happily blind buy that on whatever its release date might be.

 

[TravisR]

I still wouldn't feel comfortable doing that because you don't know who was in there for the showing before your buyout. Someone else was sitting in that seat before you did, and that person might be sick without knowing it.

Oh don't worry, I had planned for that too. I thought I could bring a container of disinfectant wipes with me and scrub down the seat I was sitting in and the two next to me. Yes, I'm crazy.

EDIT: Honestly, I'd imagine that it will be a fairly common sight to see people actually clean their seats at a theater. My only issue with that is that if you feel the need to do that, it's probably not the best idea to be doing that particular activity.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I've even contemplated buying all the tickets for a show so I can see Tenet by myself. That must be safer but I imagine that it's still not entirely safe. Not to mention that even at 25% capacity, I'd have to buy like 30 tickets which is way more money than I'd spend.

Yeah... and if the auditorium you see it in shares a ventilation system with the room next door, and a cluster of maskless sick people happen to be in there breathing, you might get all of that blown onto you anyway.

I appreciate that theater chains say they’re upping their cleaning protocols but I’m not really convinced. Scrubbing everything sounds nice, but since the overwhelming majority of transmission appears to be from breathing it in, more wipe downs feels a little like aggressively patting down a 90-year-old at an airport - in theory maybe that’s doing some good, but in all likelihood not that much. And while the theaters have been advertising their plans to put in new and improved air filtration systems, those claims always have an asterisk with the fine print saying “wherever possible” which is so vague as to be meaningless.

I don’t believe mask compliance will be what it needs to be. There was just an article in the NY Times about how the overwhelming majority of restaurant patrons aren’t following the mask rules, but believe they are. At least in NY, the rule for restaurants is “wear a mask at all times except for when eating.” What the rule meant was that you should have your mask on at the table, lower it to take a bite of food or sip of drink, and then return the mask to your face in between bites and in between courses, as well as any time your server approaches. In practice, though, the majority of diners are wearing masks when they arrive to the restaurant, but then remove them when they’re seated and keep them off until they leave. If people can’t follow the directions and establishments are unwilling/unable to enforce them in broad daylight out in the street, what chance is there that people will follow them in a darkened theater? And the article made the point that the majority of patrons doing this aren’t doing it to be rebellious; they think they’re doing the right thing and believe they are following the rules.

We’re prioritizing the wrong things in trying to reopen, and in doing so, are making it harder to actually reopen safely and sustainably.