New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that movie theaters in New York City are set to reopen at 25% capacity as of March 5. Each theater isn’t allowed more than 50 people per screen, and requires masks, social distancing, and other protocols to be in place.
While the vaccine rollout in New York has been moving far more steadily this month than it was in January, the fact that there have been over 4,000 new cases of COVID in New York City so far this year has not changed. So if you decide to actually head back to theaters, keep that in mind while you sit through something that you can watch safely from the comfort of your own home.
Meanwhile, England’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has his own very ambitious plans across the pond: On Monday, he announced his “roadmap” for when COVID restrictions will be lifted, including setting June 21 as the tentative date for nightclubs to open again. But according to records, over 14 million people have been vaccinated in England so far, so it doesn’t seem too far fetched for them to get live shows and messy nights out way before those of us in the U.S. get to.
Please remember, there’s still a pandemic and in the words of Kourtney Kardashian, “There’s people that are dying.” The experience of enjoying movies in a cold room full of strangers with a bucket of popcorn’s definitely missed–but it can wait.
20 Comments
I’ve only been to a movie theater maybe 20 or 25 times in my life, so I never associated watching movies with going to movie theaters as much as a lot of people do.
I’ve watched tons and tons of movies in theaters. But for most movies I find it doesn’t drastically change the experience for most things as much as people say. I probably won’t be back into a theater until sometime next year or so at the earliest.
About 5-6 years ago, I realized the vast majority of movies just weren’t enhanced by a big screen. I caught some old movie on one of those re-screenings of classic films and realized, “Huh. That was about as good as I remember it being on my TV. And my popcorn is cheaper.” Basically if you don’t have the cinematography to justify that big a screen, I’m all good catching it at home.
I’m sure it meant a lot to a lot of people especially when it was the only way to see any movies but it gets a little exhausting to hear about the magic of the cinema and how it’s mandatory you experience certain films in the theater and you’re a dirty unwashed heathen if you’d just as soon watch at home. I feel the same way when someone goes on about how you have so see bands in a small club to experience the raw energy and stuff like that. No, person who is likely of an older generation, that experience meant a lot to you but I have different priorities.
I never considered myself a real cinephile, so to me the only major advantage of watching in the theater as opposed to at home is you get to do it earlier. Otherwise it’s basically just more expensive video that you can’t pause.
And what’s with the people claiming you need to have another person around to have enjoyable sex?
I find it just slows the whole process down.
I’m not big into going to theaters myself for reasons but, I don’t think how a communal experience can be enhancement of a film. Being in a room of people laughing, screaming, crying etc. It is just completely different than watching at home.But, there’s also a discussion about how cinephiles have started defining what’s the “right” way to watch movies. In the dark, silent, focusing on what’s happening and not really reacting because it might disturb someone else. Which does cheapen make the theater experience a moot point. Because we aren’t enjoying it together if there’s only one way to enjoy it.
I don’t even own a movie theatre!
Fine. Go for it. Fuck it.If you buy into what the Doctor from John Hopkins says then this probably isn’t a huge deal.I’d prefer they’d wait until that Johnson&johnson vaccine was approved and up and running for a month. But, the numbers are so underreported and underestimated that opening the theaters was significantly make the numbers worse.
Will I be forced to share the theater with nursing home residents?
Only if you’ve got the ‘rona.
As long as theaters are open in the greater LA area by October 15th for Halloween Kills I’ll be ok.
no way some of those haven’t been completely reclaimed by rats at this point.
Although the lack of human prey for so long means no more bedbugs!
He’s only doing this to deflect and distract away from his nursing home failures and the lawsuits from theaters and other small business he’s been getting.
So, no Feelaround features for a while yet…
The concessions will also be available, but the popcorn will contain only 25% the usual amount of rat faeces.
I expect a commensurate discount, in that case.