After five months, movie theaters are starting to reopen their doors on Thursday, August 21, and many movie enthusiasts are split with the idea -- although you might be able to find tickets as low as 15 cents. Yes! AMC, the largest movie theater chain in the world, announced that they would be offering “movies in 2020 at 1920 prices” on its opening day.
“We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies,” Adam Aron, AMC‘s CEO, said in a statement. The company also said they are taking safety and health measures seriously, and while they are lowering the theater capacity, all guests need to wear masks.
According to CNN, the chain is reopening more than 100 US locations, although there is not a big selection of blockbusters. While movie lovers wait for the premiere of Tenet on September 3, AMC will start encouraging people by showcasing old films like Inception, The Beauty and the Beast , Back to the Future, Bloodshot, Black Panther , and even The Goonies.
But why would people want to go to the movie theater to watch old movies already available online? Is it to enjoy a freshly pooped bag of popcorn? Or to buy overpriced candy? Or perhaps to enjoy spicy chicken nuggets from Nathan‘s Famous? Whatever it is, theaters need always to ensure the safety of moviegoers, and guests also need to follow the rules. “It’s up to the theaters to ensure that they are so well prepared in creating the safest and most appealing environment possible,” Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN Business.”The sentiment of the moviegoers who go over the next few weeks needs to be positive. That’s what will give the theaters the best shot at drawing in, and more importantly, keeping patrons coming back,” he said.
Is it essential to go to the movie theaters? Is not! But from a different perspective, many families depend on it. From the person who checks the validity of your tickets to the one who cleans after you leave all the popcorn scattered on the chair and the floor -- please don’t! -- they all want to start getting back on track.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is indecisive with the idea. “I am sure there is a whole group of people who say, ‘I cannot live without going to the movies.’ But on a relative scale, a movie theater is less essential and poses a high risk,” Cuomo said. “Movie theaters are not that high on the list of essentials. It is congregant. It is one ventilation system. You are seated there for a long period of time. Even if you are at 50% capacity with one or two seats between the two of you, this is a risk situation and … movie theaters are not that high on the list of essentials,” he said, adding that gyms are more essential. “Who has the bible of essentials? Nobody. You can’t go to the bible to figure it out [but] we are saying, ‘Yes, gyms for more New Yorkers are more essential than movie theaters,’” he said.
