Ask a local movie theater general manager about the last four months, and you’ll get a sigh.
A portion of local theaters were known as much for screening independent movies (Cold War, Uncut Gems), classics (Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm, Goodfellas), and midnight movies (Mandy, The Room) as they were for blockbusters. However, Davis, Logan, and the New 400 are waiting for blockbuster titles like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan. The date for those two films keeps getting pushed further down the calendar, from mid-July to late July to mid-August to now being indefinitely delayed.
“With capacity limitations, in my biggest auditorium, which seats 150 guests, I can put 25 people in there,” Holtz says. “That doesn’t even really pay for the movie.”
The charm of a drive-in experience is working for now, but Munro decided against offering new releases through a virtual cinema platform.
“We were doing good numbers, but it wasn’t enough,” Oestreich says. “Everybody at home has cable, Netflix, Hulu, and the Criterion Channel . . . I have to cut through all that noise, then I’m asking you to fork out $12 to watch one of my movies.”
What makes the process of staying afloat during the pandemic more difficult is how each theater has had to dramatically cut staff. Facets cut 20 percent of its expenses. Cardarelli says she is bracing herself “to go a little bit deeper,” but hasn’t had to eliminate full-time staff. At the Logan Theatre, more than 20 part-time employees were let go. Music Box cut 80 percent of its staff. Siskel Film Center furloughed all of its part-time staff, leaving only five full-time staffers.
