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

[TravisR]

On the other hand, my arthouse is requiring masks (except when seating and actively eating) and they are turning away patrons without vaccination cards. They have capped attendance per screening to 50%. As such, I feel safer going to the arthouse where I know they are making more sincere attempts to ensure everyone's safety.

One of the art houses near me has two days (Sunday and Monday) where they require proof of vaccination to get in. I assume that masks are also required on those days if not all days.

 

[Jake Lipson]

One of the art houses near me has two days (Sunday and Monday) where they require proof of vaccination to get in.

Vaccines are required only two days a week? That doesn't make sense. Even if you know that the audience is vaccinated when you are there, you don't know what unvaccinated people brought in with them on the other days. The virus could very well still be in the air.

This feels like an attempt to placate everybody and I see what they're trying to do, but I don't think it works. If you have to choose between serving vaccinated customers or unvaccinated customers, the clear majority in the country right now is vaccinated. It's not a big majority, but it is the majority.

I have enjoyed going out to the movies post-vaccination, but I have been a lot more selective about which ones I see and how often I go than I was before the pandemic. I'll accept a small risk for some movies but not others. If I'm not sure I need to see a movie immediately, I am more likely to skip going altogether if I know unvaccinated people are being admitted.

Again, I'd love to see Spider-Man a second time but I don't plan to. I'm also waiting for streaming on The King's Man even though I liked the previous two in the franchise and would probably have seen the new one in theaters under other circumstances.

The theaters trying to serve the minority unvaccinated population may be causing themselves to lose business from the majority.

 

[TravisR]

Vaccines are required only two days a week? That doesn't make sense.

Are there theaters that require proof of vaccination all the time? I've been to AMC and Regal and I'm pretty sure they both have signage saying that you have to wear a mask if you're not vaccinated. Obviously, there's no enforcement of that so it's all dependent on the honor system (so... good luck).

 

[Jake Lipson]

Are there theaters that require proof of vaccination all the time?

My local arthouse does.

None of the chains here do. But I think they should.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

New York City requires that all indoor venues check ID/vax cards for entry but that’s a local rather than statewide decree.

 

[JimmyO]

Are there theaters that require proof of vaccination all the time? I've been to AMC and Regal and I'm pretty sure they both have signage saying that you have to wear a mask if you're not vaccinated. Obviously, there's no enforcement of that so it's all dependent on the honor system (so... good luck).

Ironically, Cineplex in Ontario does require a vax passport/proof and I presume other provinces as well. Ironic because they are being mandated to shut their doors for a few weeks starting Wednesday.

 

[Tino]

Until this Pandemic is over all indoor venues should require proof of vaccination Imo.

 

[steve jaros]

At the theaters I go to there are currently no vaccine or masking requirements, nor as far as I can tell, capacity requirements.

Since I'm vaccinated, that's fine with me, doesn't make me worried or anything. IIRC, the data says that even if I catch the virus, my odds of serious illness are very small, in the same category of all the other "very small" risks I do not worry about on a daily basis.

 

[Worth]

Ironically, Cineplex in Ontario does require a vax passport/proof and I presume other provinces as well. Ironic because they are being mandated to shut their doors for a few weeks starting Wednesday.

It's just about numbers. Vaccines no longer offer much protection against getting or spreading the virus. They are still likely to prevent serious illness, but even if only 0.5 percent of vaccinated people end up in the hospital, that could add up very quickly if huge swaths of the population are infected. Add the unvaccinated into the equation and the medical system could easily be overwhelmed.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I’d like to point out to say to those who are vaccinated and assuming that the worst that will happen is a mild case of the corona, not so fast. There is a percentage of recovered patients who become long-haulers. They develop chronic fatigue syndrome. I developed this in November of 2019 so likely not from covid, but I have since learned it’s caused by a viral event like the flu which I had in that November. CFS is not new to covid, but covid is viral so it can give it to you.

CFS has ruined my life and I do not exaggerate. There is no end in site and there is no cure. So when you do something a little risky, think about whether that movie or night out is worth it.

The NPR program 1A did a thing on covid long-haulers and one of the guests was an epidemiologist who had CFS. Being attuned, I could hear the sadness in her voice.

 

[Tino]

We’ll I’ve decided to venture out to see Spider-Man before it leaves IMAX. Double masked and triple vaxxed. Fuck you Omicron!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

We’ll I’ve decided to venture out to see Spider-Man before it leaves IMAX. Double masked and triple vaxxed. Fuck you Omicron!

RIP Tino!

 

[Malcolm R]

Theaters are still reluctant to resume a full schedule around here. We have one multi-plex that seems to be running a pre-pandemic 7-day schedule, but others are still mostly just evenings/weekends. The box office seems to be doing pretty well, so I can only think these must be related to lack of staffing.

Nearby small town theaters have been running Thursday-Sunday only, with evening shows only Thu/Fri and matinees/evenings on Saturday/Sunday. They recently announced they were now going to add Wednesday evenings, but will remain closed Mon/Tue. Not sure if they'll add any weekday matinees once school's out for summer starting tomorrow.

One of the other larger theaters in the region just announced they're adding some late afternoon daily shows next week. They're currently open 7 days, but have been only showing evening shows Mon-Fri and matinees/evenings on the weekends.

One large multiplex remains closed. At this point, I have to assume it's a permanent closure though it seems a bit odd as it's the only theater in a large urban/commercial area and the theater is still listed/linked on its two sister theaters' web sites (they have both been open for months).

 

[TravisR]

^The closest Regal to me is back to its normal hours (shows from 11 AM-ish to 11 PM-ish on the weekends and maybe noon to 10 PM during the week). The local AMC is close to being like the old days (they dropped the earliest round of shows so movies don't start until about 2 PM during the week and noon on the weekends and the shows go until 9:30 or 10). An independent theater near me is basically noon to 8 or 9 PM.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Theaters are still reluctant to resume a full schedule around here.

I forget - where’s “around here” for you?

I have a six screen multiplex that’s a five minute drive from my house. On weekends they seem to be back to their pre-pandemic scheduling, and most weekdays too. But I think that may be because all of the new movies out right now and because the school year’s almost over. When school was in session and it wasn’t blockbuster season, they were only doing a 4pm and a 7pm daily.

 

[Malcolm R]

I forget - where’s “around here” for you?

Vermont

 

[TJPC]

Everything here near Toronto seems to be back to pre-pandemic days, with frequent showings and no masks. Our complication was my knee replacement 3 weeks ago. To get caught up with new movies we saw 3 last week (Downton Abby, Bob’s Burger, Top Gun 2) and one this week — Jurassic World 3.

We always go to matinees, where the audience is small to begin with.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Others here likely know more than I do about the ticket numbers at the cinema in recent times, but it looks to me that the theater business has rebounded to at least nearly what it used to be before March 2020. A little surprised that it came back so quickly.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Others here likely know more than I do about the ticket numbers at the cinema in recent times, but it looks to me that the theater business has rebounded to at least nearly what it used to be before March 2020. A little surprised that it came back so quickly.

I don't think so as many theaters have decreased the number of showings per day. Part of the reason is the hiring crunch due to the pandemic. They simply can't hire enough people as the largest AMC movie complex nearest to me doesn't even offer weekday showings before 3:15 p.m.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Others here likely know more than I do about the ticket numbers at the cinema in recent times, but it looks to me that the theater business has rebounded to at least nearly what it used to be before March 2020. A little surprised that it came back so quickly.

It'll be interesting to see how year-end 2022 total receipts compare to total 2019 receipts.

2019 had $11 billion in the US, and halfway through 2022, we're at about $4 billion, so it seems highly unlikely 2022 will catch up with 2019.

However, 2022 is already almost up to the $4.4 billion of 2021, so that's a good sign.