New York cinemas reopen, brightening outlook for theaters

Cinemas in the city are currently operating at only 25 per cent capacity, with a maximum of 50 per each auditorium

New York: After growing cobwebs for nearly a year, movie theatres in New York City reopened, returning film titles to Manhattan marquees that had for the last 12 months instead read messages like “Wear a mask” and “We’ll be back soon.”

Shortly after noon at the Angelika Film Center on Houston Street, Holly Stillman was already feeling emotional coming out of the first New York showing of Lee Isaac Chung’s tender family drama Minari. “My mask is drenched,” she said. But she was equally overwhelmed by being back in a cinema.

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Though Stillman feared the experience would be too restrictive because of Covid-19 protocols, she instead found it euphoric. “It was just you and the movie screen,” said Stillman. “It was wonderful to smell the popcorn as soon as I got into the theater — even though I don’t eat popcorn.”

For a theatrical business that has been punished by the pandemic, the resumption of moviegoing in New York — is a crucial first step in revival. “It’s a symbolic moment,” said Michael Barker, co-president of the New York-based Sony Pictures Classics, which on Friday released the Oscar contenders The Father and The Truffle Hunters in Manhattan theatres.

As in other places, mask wearing is mandatory, seats are blocked out and air filters have been upgraded. Many theaters were caught off guard when Gov Andrew Cuomo said cinemas could, under those conditions, reopen.

Some of the city’s prominent theatres, including the Film Forum, the Alamo Drafthouse, the Metrograph and Regal Cinemas were targeting openings in the coming weeks. Some needed more time to prepare. After sitting dormant all winter, the Cinema Village in Manhattan two weeks earlier burst a pipe, flooding the lobby — one last bit of bad luck in a gruelling year.

New York, along with Los Angeles (where theatres are still closed), is one of the top movie markets. For smaller films, it’s a vital epicenter of word-of-mouth. For blockbusters, it’s a lucrative necessity. Without New York or Los Angeles open, Hollywood studios have pushed most of their larger productions until more theatres are open, or they’ve steered films to streaming services.

“The New York opening is very significant to the theatre business in New York, in the nation and in the globe,” says John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners.
Lately, with President Biden’s prediction that every adult can be vaccinated by the end of May, the outlook for theaters has been brightening for the first time in a long time.