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

[Worth]

Yesterday it was announced that Toronto has cancelled all city events until July, so I'd imagine other parts of the country and the US will likely follow suit. And that may even be optimistic.

 

[ScottJH]

It was announced today an AMC near me is closing permanently.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It was announced today an AMC near me is closing permanently.

There are going to be a lot more closing before all is said and done.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

There are going to be a lot more closing before all is said and done.

I agree. Before any of this had even started, AMC was in serious financial trouble (to be fair, the same applies to all the other chains). The newer locations with full amenities, state of the art premium screens, and comfortable regular auditoriums have a better chance. The locations that haven’t been upgraded in forever that are neither comfortable nor offering good presentations are going to be even harder to get away with.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I agree. Before any of this had even started, AMC was in serious financial trouble (to be fair, the same applies to all the other chains). The newer locations with full amenities, state of the art premium screens, and comfortable regular auditoriums have a better chance. The locations that haven’t been upgraded in forever that are neither comfortable nor offering good presentations are going to be even harder to get away with.

I expect my local AMC theater complex to close as it's an AMC Classic theater that hasn't been upgraded in 20 years or so.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I expect my local AMC theater complex to close as it's an AMC Classic theater that hasn't been upgraded in 20 years or so.

That’s the branding that was escaping me - I think the “Classic” rebranded theaters will be the first to go. That designation was basically an admission that the theaters weren’t up to date and wouldn’t be upgraded. The lease obligations may be more expensive than the facilities are even worth at this point. 2K digital projectors and data servers from 10-15 years ago have little to no commercial value. The older style of theater seating has fallen out of favor and has little to no resale value. It may help AMC’s longterm survival if they can walk away from those locations, get out of those leases, and get some kind of relief either in the form of a bailout or bankruptcy filing that would let them off the hook.

Any location that’s dependent on another business to bring traffic is also probably in trouble. Mall traffic has been going down for years even before this; movie theaters built to take advantage of being near malls are also going to face an uphill battle because mall traffic isn’t going to get better after months of people getting even more comfortable with ordering online.

 

[Robert Crawford]

That’s the branding that was escaping me - I think the “Classic” rebranded theaters will be the first to go. That designation was basically an admission that the theaters weren’t up to date and wouldn’t be upgraded. The lease obligations may be more expensive than the facilities are even worth at this point. 2K digital projectors and data servers from 10-15 years ago have little to no commercial value. The older style of theater seating has fallen out of favor and has little to no resale value. It may help AMC’s longterm survival if they can walk away from those locations, get out of those leases, and get some kind of relief either in the form of a bailout or bankruptcy filing that would let them off the hook.

Any location that’s dependent on another business to bring traffic is also probably in trouble. Mall traffic has been going down for years even before this; movie theaters built to take advantage of being near malls are also going to face an uphill battle because mall traffic isn’t going to get better after months of people getting even more comfortable with ordering online.

That fits my local AMC to a "T" as it's located on the same site as our local Mall which has less traffic now as Sears closed and who knows what's going to happen to Macy's or Penney's after this crisis is over with.

 

[TravisR]

I agree. Before any of this had even started, AMC was in serious financial trouble (to be fair, the same applies to all the other chains). The newer locations with full amenities, state of the art premium screens, and comfortable regular auditoriums have a better chance. The locations that haven’t been upgraded in forever that are neither comfortable nor offering good presentations are going to be even harder to get away with.

Yeah, I have three AMCs within a reasonable distance of me. One was a crumbling dump until it got remodeled about two years ago (I saw A Quiet Place there on opening day a week after they reopened so whenever that movie came out) and I have to imagine that the money that went into the remodel semi-guarantees that that one will be coming back. There's also a 24 screen with IMAX and Dolby Vision screens so that one has to be safe too. Then there's one next to a mall (though not connected to it) that was remodeled in the early 2000's and is already pretty beat up so that one seems a likely candidate to get the axe.

 

[TonyD]

There doesn’t seem to be a TV edition so I’ll wonder here about tv shows and moves.

Specifically soap operas.

There’s only maybe four of them left and I’m sure they are already on the edge of extinction.
As of this week there are still new episodes airing but that can’t last for much longer.
I have seen anything about when they shut down but I imagine they have and soon enough it will catch up on the air.

My wife and I watch General Hospital so we’d be pretty sad to see it go away for any reason.

 

[Chip_HT]

There doesn’t seem to be a TV edition so I’ll wonder here about tv shows and moves.

Specifically soap operas.

There’s only maybe four of them left and I’m sure they are already on the edge of extinction.
As of this week there are still new episodes airing but that can’t last for much longer.
I have seen anything about when they shut down but I imagine they have and soon enough it will catch up on the air.

My wife and I watch General Hospital so we’d be pretty sad to see it go away for any reason.

Looks like you're good through May.
https://tvline.com/2020/03/18/daytime-soap-operas-coronavirus-young-and-restless-episodes/

 

[Wayne_j]

I highly doubt any big budget ($100 million +) movie will be released by the studios until theaters are open in at least NY, LA, and Chicago.

 

[Tino]

'Top Gun: Maverick' Pushed to Christmas Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The studio also announced a new September date for 'A Quiet Place Part II,' while taking holiday tentpole 'The Tomorrow War' off the calendar for now.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...ease-pushed-back-coronavirus-pandemic-1284307

 

[Robert Crawford]

'Top Gun: Maverick' Pushed to Christmas Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The studio also announced a new September date for 'A Quiet Place Part II,' while taking holiday tentpole 'The Tomorrow War' off the calendar for now.

I have serious doubts many of us will be in movie theaters this Christmas season.

 

[Tino]

I don’t think those dates are realistic.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I wonder if there’s a legal or tax reason for establishing a date, even if it can’t be made. If it’s postponed indefinitely, maybe it’s harder to take action, and maybe if they give it a date that ends up not being workable, they can then try to get a tax write-down or something.

To me it makes no sense to establish dates at this point unless it’s part of a technical process that the studios need to engage in to be able to claim some of the losses they’ve experienced.

 

[Worth]

I have serious doubts many of us will be in movie theaters this Christmas season.

I think summer's out, but Christmas may not be unrealistic.

 

[TravisR]

I think summer's out, but Christmas may not be unrealistic.

Yeah, I think the summer movies are going to migrate to Thanksgiving and Christmas. If theaters aren't reopened by the end of the summer (forget the end of the year) just to test the waters with re-releases or small movies, I'm far more worried about staying alive over ever seeing a movie again.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think summer's out, but Christmas may not be unrealistic.

Yeah, but that's in the heart of flu season. This virus might slack off in the hot months then comes back with hell and furor in the winter months.

 

[Sam Favate]

This is very bad news:

AMC’s Credit Rating Downgraded by S&P With Recovery Unlikely

https://www.thewrap.com/amcs-credit-rating-downgraded-by-sp-with-recovery-unlikely/

If AMC closes, I will not have a movie theater near me for nearly 50 miles. Going to the movies will become an event, something to do a few times a year, instead of every week.

(And please note, I am not a huge fan of AMC. Their redesign of their theaters is an insult to handicapped people everywhere. I have a son who uses a wheelchair.)

 

[Jeffrey D]

This is very bad news:

AMC’s Credit Rating Downgraded by S&P With Recovery Unlikely

https://www.thewrap.com/amcs-credit-rating-downgraded-by-sp-with-recovery-unlikely/

If AMC closes, I will not have a movie theater near me for nearly 50 miles. Going to the movies will become an event, something to do a few times a year, instead of every week.

(And please note, I am not a huge fan of AMC. Their redesign of their theaters is an insult to handicapped people everywhere. I have a son who uses a wheelchair.)

Sure seems that all the theater chains are in big trouble going forward- even when the President and CDC lifts our current restrictions, my prediction is people aren’t just going to immediately resume normal activities- some of our population will not completely trust that they’re not going to get sick while attending the theater, so these large gathering events will be
affected for a while.