New York's movie theaters are still closed due to coronavirus, and it is unclear when they will be able to reopen. The entertainment industry took a massive hit when COVID-19 emerged. China was the first country to close down movie theaters followed by Italy and then across the United States and other European countries as the virus made its way across the world. The United States is in a unique position since the governor of each state has been making its own pandemic regulations. In some states like Georgia and Texas, movie theaters only closed for a few weeks. Other states like New York have had theaters closed for months.
New York has been notorious for implementing strict regulations when it comes to closures and social distancing. When the first case of coronavirus popped up in New York during mid-March, Governor Andrew Cuomo closed down large entertainment venues like movie theaters, followed by all other non-essential businesses, without hesitation. New York stayed in lockdown for two months before initiating Phase 1 of reopening between May and June, depending on the region. All of New York is now in its 4th and final phase of reopening and is currently 1 of only 15 states in which COVID-19 cases are decreasing.
However, Cuomo has still put a hold on some industries like movie theaters from reopening. According to Deadline, Governor Cuomo recently announced that New York is not ready to consider reopening movie theaters. While Cuomo is drafting a plan to open gyms, he believes movie theaters to be higher risk. During a briefing, he explained that even at 50% capacity, patrons sit in movie theaters for up to 2.5 hours, which increases the chances of exposure. With schools, gyms, and other entertainment venues nearing opening, movie theaters have fallen lower on the totem pole of priorities for New York.
“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.’”
Movie theater owners are unhappy with Cuomo's hesitation to reopen cinemas. They believe that if gyms and other big facilities are considering reopening, movie theaters should be in the running. Joseph Masher, chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas and president of the National Association of Theatre Owners of New York, even pointed out that there are no known cases of the virus being contracted from movie theaters. While 41 of the 50 states have begun reopening theaters, it is not enough for owners and the film industry as a whole to feel confident enough to release new features yet. New York is the 2nd largest state in the United States film industry, and keeping theaters closed could stall the industry as a whole even longer.
The numbers prove that the strict and safe approach has worked so far for New York. However, if large recreational venues are being discussed, movie theaters should not be excluded entirely from the conversation. At the very least, a plan would allow Hollywood to plan out releases for upcoming feature films strategically. New York filmgoers will have to stick to watching movies from home on Netflix, Disney+, or whatever their favorite streaming platform is for the meantime.
Source: Deadline