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

[Colin Jacobson]

That's a big mistake!

I get your POV, but given how many state governments have removed mask mandates, I don't see that the theater chains had much choice.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Just got back from seeing A Quiet Place Part II, my first movie at the cinema in over a year. The Regal was running a skeleton crew; looked like a manager and two employees were it. So we had to buy our tickets at the concession stand rather than at the box office. The computer automatically blocked out two seats on either side of any purchased seats.

All of the Regal employees were masked, but I would say both in the mall and in the theater it was about 50/50. I wore my mask until I was seated, and then took it off to eat popcorn. There were about a dozen people total in the theater, including myself and the two people I went with. Each group had chosen seats quite a ways from the other groups, so the theater still felt very empty.

One interesting change: Regal has switched from Coca Cola to Pepsi for its soft drink vendor. No more of those crappy student-made Coke commercials before the movie.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

No more of those crappy student-made Coke commercials before the movie.

As a former film school kid, those commercials hurt my soul.

 

[TJPC]

Just got back from seeing A Quiet Place Part II, my first movie at the cinema in over a year. The Regal was running a skeleton crew; looked like a manager and two employees were it. So we had to buy our tickets at the concession stand rather than at the box office. The computer automatically blocked out two seats on either side of any purchased seats.

All of the Regal employees were masked, but I would say both in the mall and in the theater it was about 50/50. I wore my mask until I was seated, and then took it off to eat popcorn. There were about a dozen people total in the theater, including myself and the two people I went with. Each group had chosen seats quite a ways from the other groups, so the theater still felt very empty.

One interesting change: Regal has switched from Coca Cola to Pepsi for its soft drink vendor. No more of those crappy student-made Coke commercials before the movie.

But how was the movie?!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

But how was the movie?!

Find out here!

 

[Robert Crawford]

After about 16 months, I watched my first movie in a movie theater and I must say I wasn't really comfortable as I was the only person wearing my mask in the theater. The theater employees were wearing masks. I'm fully vaccinated with Pfizer since April 1st, but every time I heard somebody cough, I got a little nervous. Luckily, there were just five other people in the theater and I was far from any of their seating positions. I might go again, but I will continue to wear a N-95 mask.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

After about 16 months, I watched my first movie in a movie theater and I must say I wasn't really comfortable as I was the only person wearing my mask in the theater. The theater employees were wearing masks. I'm fully vaccinated with Pfizer since April 1st, but every time I heard somebody cough, I got a little nervous. Luckily, there were just five other people in the theater and I was far from any of their seating positions. I might go again, but I will continue to wear a N-95 mask.

At my local AMC, most people still wear masks - a lot more than I'd expect.

I live in an area where vaccination rates are high - over 70% with at least one shot - so I'm a bit surprised that so many people still wear masks even though CDC has said they're unnecessary when fully vaccinated...

 

[Robert Crawford]

At my local AMC, most people still wear masks - a lot more than I'd expect.

I live in an area where vaccination rates are high - over 70% with at least one shot - so I'm a bit surprised that so many people still wear masks even though CDC has said they're unnecessary when fully vaccinated...

I grocery shopped this morning and for the first time since the pandemic started, I was one of just a few people that wore a mask. The people who actually worked at the store weren't wearing a mask either. Not me brother, as I don't trust anybody when it comes to my personal safety and how much this virus is going to continue to mutate. I'll be interested to what our infection rates are come August 1st after the July 4th holiday.

 

[Robert Crawford]

After about 16 months, I watched my first movie in a movie theater and I must say I wasn't really comfortable as I was the only person wearing my mask in the theater. The theater employees were wearing masks. I'm fully vaccinated with Pfizer since April 1st, but every time I heard somebody cough, I got a little nervous. Luckily, there were just five other people in the theater and I was far from any of their seating positions. I might go again, but I will continue to wear a N-95 mask.

My local theater complex that was built in 2014, closed down during the pandemic. It's going to open again later this summer, but a different movie chain is leasing the theater complex. I just tallied up the gift cards I received over the years from that previous movie chain and the grand total is $568. That's right, I have $568 in gift cards for a movie chain no longer operating in my city. However, that movie chain is operating a theater complex in another city about 15 minutes away from me. Furthermore, unlike most theaters in Michigan, this theater complex has morning show times during the weekdays and weekends.

Yes, I'm going to check out that theater complex and probably during one of those morning shows. I hate seeing $568 go to waste, but I'm not entirely comfortable watching movies in a movie theater. Stay tuned.

 

[TonyD]

You could probably sell that gc for a Minimal loss.

 

[Malcolm R]

Theaters around Vermont are verrrrry slowly reopening, even with the imminent arrival of Fast & Furious 9. The one multiplex that's been open through most of the past year is expanding to six days a week, though mostly just evening shows with matinees on weekends. The first theater in a locally-owned "mini-chain" of three multiplex theaters in the Burlington area is reopening tomorrow, while the other two theaters owned by this company remain closed. The smallest theater with six screens and located in the heart of downtown is the one re-opening. The theaters in the 'burbs that remain closed have 9 and 10 screens.

More locally to me, one of the two crackerbox theaters is open. The other remains closed.

 

[Malcolm R]

The upcoming October releases seem to be bringing some more local theaters back to life. One of the bigger multiplexes in Chittenden County reopened a couple weeks ago, and the other small town theater near me that remained closed will open next weekend.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Cinemark just recorded their biggest October weekend in the history of the company. That pretty much says it all.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Cinemark just recorded their biggest October weekend in the history of the company. That pretty much says it all.

Interesting... even though the new Bond flick isn't out yet (at least in USA). Guess the Venom sequel did especially well for them... though I'm thinking Oct probably isn't normally a big month for the box office...

_Man_

 

[TJPC]

We just saw Venom 2 and would probably give it a 3 out of 5. There was nothing bad about it per say, but really, there is not much story. I wonder if it started off as a longer film?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I have always been someone attracted to seeing the small budget pictures rather than the big mainstream extravaganzas. I have to ask, is it just me getting old, I am often confused now as to where I can see these pictures. One of the largest cinemas near me that showed arthouse stuff is gone, torn down. So, now to see anything like that I have to sort out where and if it is playing in a cinema at all. Or where to see it on a streaming service or to just wait to see if it gets a blu-ray release.

Basically, going to the movies for me right now has been totally destroyed. This is pretty sad as I love going out to the cinema. I get kind of sad every time I drive by the hole in the ground that was once a cinema.

On a positive note, we seem to be defeating Covid, primarily through mandated vaccinations, but I feel like theaters are still in a lot of trouble. Maybe it is just where I am right now but the theaters near me seem to be dedicating most of their screens to whatever the big budget releases are and have abandoned anything that is not this type of picture.

 

[Johnny Angell]

On a positive note, we seem to be defeating Covid, primarily through mandated vaccinations, but I feel like theaters are still in a lot of trouble. Maybe it is just where I am right now but the theaters near me seem to be dedicating most of their screens to whatever the big budget releases are and have abandoned anything that is not this type of picture.

Perhaps it’s a perfect storm. Home theaters are better then ever with more ways to deliver movie content to the home. The theater experience has declined some with less professionalism on the part of many theaters and declining courtesy from fellow movie goers. Ticket prices go up, often with diminishing returns. We had stopped going to theaters for the smaller, intimate films, saving our theater bucks for the blockbusters. We would watch the smaller films at home.

Then came the dagger in the heart, Covid.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Perhaps it’s a perfect storm. Home theaters are better then ever with more ways to deliver movie content to the home. The theater experience has declined some with less professionalism on the part of many theaters and declining courtesy from fellow movie goers. Ticket prices go up, often with diminishing returns. We had stopped going to theaters for the smaller, intimate films, saving our theater bucks for the blockbusters. We would watch the smaller films at home.

Then came the dagger in the heart, Covid.

Ticket sales seemed fairly steady until COVID (1995 and 2019 were almost identical). Revenue was better than ever.

The Numbers - Movie Market Summary 1995 to 2024

Overall movie market summary for each year 1995 to 2024

www.the-numbers.com

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I have always been someone attracted to seeing the small budget pictures rather than the big mainstream extravaganzas. I have to ask, is it just me getting old, I am often confused now as to where I can see these pictures. One of the largest cinemas near me that showed arthouse stuff is gone, torn down. So, now to see anything like that I have to sort out where and if it is playing in a cinema at all. Or where to see it on a streaming service or to just wait to see if it gets a blu-ray release.

Basically, going to the movies for me right now has been totally destroyed. This is pretty sad as I love going out to the cinema. I get kind of sad every time I drive by the hole in the ground that was once a cinema.

On a positive note, we seem to be defeating Covid, primarily through mandated vaccinations, but I feel like theaters are still in a lot of trouble. Maybe it is just where I am right now but the theaters near me seem to be dedicating most of their screens to whatever the big budget releases are and have abandoned anything that is not this type of picture.

Where I live, the theaters have mostly gotten back to what they were doing in 2019. The big multiplexes have a few screens for movies like Spencer and Belfast. The more obscure stuff plays at the local Landmark.

All seats are for sale, no masks or vax cards are required. The Thursday night showings of the latest big movie are usually sold out, or maybe a handful of empty seats in the first two rows. If someone had been asleep for two years, you'd be hard-pressed to notice that anything had changed. As someone who loved the way things were in 2019, this makes me very happy.

 

[JimmyO]

The government of Ontario here just announced that all kinds of businesses will be forced to reduce capacity to 50 percent, and the list of business types was quite long, starting Sunday. Conspicuously missing: movie theatres. That was a shock. However movie theater patrons will not be allowed to eat/drink while watching the movie (to keep the mask on, I guess).

I am not sure how they dodged the capacity bullet. Movie theatres are easily one of the most 'pack em in' types of indoor venues where social distancing is impossible during a sold out film. Yet shopping malls, retailers, restaurants and many other types of businesses are going to have to reduce capacity to half.

Theaters belong on that list, in my opinion. You already need to be double vaxxed and show the vax passport just to get in, which I am glad about. But this seems very odd.

Not sure how the theaters would have handled a capacity redux at this point with all kinds of presold tickets for Spider-Man, the upcoming Matrix movie, etc.