OPINION: Don’t Be Surprised If Theaters Stay Shut Down For A Few More Months

In the last few days we have seen a new wave of film’s theater releases being rescheduled. Some of the lastest being Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Batman and SHAZAM! 2. Unfortunately, I am here as the bearer of bad news… some of our most anticipated films will be continued to be pushed back. This is because in my opinion theaters will not be re-opening anytime soon.

ALSO SEE: THE BATMAN HAS BEEN DELAYED OVER THREE MONTHS

Yes it is true that President Trump had announced late last week that in part of his three-part plan, theaters would slowly be able to open. But keep in mind this is coming from the same administration that kept assuring the public that all this would be over by Easter. The fact of the matter is that we still don’t have enough information about the COVID-19 to make any reasonable re-opening estimates.

Many states are desperate to get their economy going again (as they should be). Georiga Governer Brian Kemp will be attempting to reopen his theaters starting on April 27th. This of course would happen with strict social distancing measures and implemented enhanced sanitation. Sounds great right?

Many hurdles make opening theaters that soon almost impossible as noted by Variety. A lot of theaters furloughed or laid off their employees across the U.S. and have been shut down. They would have to re-hire the staff and properly train them in the proper safety procedures. So what happens if someone gets sick?

WHO WOULD BE AT FAULT?

Then there is an even bigger issue that theater owners are having to consider, LIABILITY. They are having to explore the legal issues that they could face if someone gets infected with COVID-19 at their establishment. Right now there is no right answer as to who would be at fault. Would you need to sign a waiver before entering the theater?

Also what safety procedures can be set in a movie theater for patrons? Will you need to take everyone’s temperature? Even if you manage to keep seats separated from each other you still would have to figure out concession stands and bathrooms. Right now is there a way to convince people that it’s safe?

THEATERS COULD BECOME OUTBREAK CENTRAL

Without a vaccine according to Peter Marks, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an interview with USA Today that, “it’s unfortunately not unlikely that we may see a second wave or even a third wave.” A place like a movie theater could be the perfect place for a COVID-19 outbreak. Here is an extreme example of that, granted they weren’t aware of any virus and they weren’t social distancing. This is a scene from 1995’s Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman.

Again this is an extreme example, but local hospitals could be overwhelmed if proper safety procedures aren’t followed. China for example attempted to open their theaters and ended up closing them back up due to the risks of exposure. Although they also shut them down again due to little financial benefit. Which brings me to my next point.

STUDIOS PROBABLY WON’T RISK IT

Due to the fear of a second wave of the COVID-19, studios are being very careful about the releases of their big blockbusters. They don’t want to invest in millions of dollars in advertising and marketing only to see their films pulled from theaters again in case of a new stay-at-home order by their state. This is why until there is a breakthrough with a vaccine, I can continue to see studios push back their films.

ALSO SEE: THEATERS COULD BE FIRST TO OPEN UNDER TRUMP’S PLAN BUT IS IT A SMART MOVE?

I don’t believe that they would want to put out films in a restricted theater environment. Theaters would have fewer patrons per room as well as fewer showtimes. Also there will be many of those who will just not want to risk it. So there is no gain for releasing a blockbuster for the time being. I would be surprised if Wonder Woman 1984 and Mulan got pushed back even further. So when do they release their films? There lies another problem.

EACH STATE DECIDES WHEN TO OPEN

Every state is different. States like New York and California have been hard hit by the COVID-19. While you have others like Kentucky, Michigan, and others that are holding protests to lift their stay-at-home ordinances and return to “normal”. But that has it’s consequences, just ask Kentucky. Who after a week of protesting has seen its highest single-day spike in cases, coincidence? Probably not. Meanwhile as we mentioned above Georgia is looking to re-open. Would studios open their blockbusters in only certain markets? What if only half of the theaters in the U.S. open WITH restrictions. I just don’t think it makes any sense.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This whole situation sucks for everyone. For the time being it’s important that we each do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and be patient. The more we try to rush things, the more we risk at causing a second or third wave. There will be a point where we will be able to get back to our everyday lives. This will include going to see the next wave of blockbusters and paying for over-priced concessions. But to get there we need to follow directions and stay safe.

ALSO SEE: WHAT IN QUARANTINE

This does raise a great question. If theaters re-opened next weekend, would you go see whatever their offering? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Source: Variety, New York Post, USA Today

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