“It is nice to be back in business again!” says Georgia Theatre Company (GTC) President Bo Chambliss.
After nearly five months of “virtually zero revenue” Chambliss’ company quietly reopened last week, following the lead of the nation’s largest movie theater chains, AMC, Regal, and Cinemark.
Theatres around the country, including those owned by GTC in Mt. Airy, Athens, Commerce, Marietta, and other parts of Georgia and the South, were closed due to government mandates. “It’s definitely been different,” says Now Habersham movie reviewer Justin Hall. “I’ve been so used to going to the movies every weekend, I guess I just took the theatrical experience for granted. It’s a classic example of you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
Even after they were allowed to resume operations, most theater chains delayed reopening to put systems into place to guard against COVID-19 and wait for new Hollywood releases. “Studios need to have a certain percentage of theatres open in order to release new product,” Chambliss explains.
Unhinged was released on August 21. It was the first new release in five months. Since then, Hollywood has released other films including New Mutants and Tenet.
“We are playing mostly first-run product with a few repertory films to fill in some gaps at some locations,” says Chambliss.
Next week, GTC will add Broken Hearts Gallery to its list of local offerings. Wonder Woman, Black Widow, and a new James Bond film are expected to be released over the next several months.
While Chambliss is “very excited” to be bringing the theatrical experience back to all GTC markets, he acknowledges the pandemic’s toll. “It is hard to run a business with zero revenue.” He says most of his company’s partners and vendors have been understanding and willing to work with them, but adds, it will take time to recover financially.
GTC owns 22 theaters in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia. “Overnight we lost 100 percent of our revenue,” Chambliss told Forbes magazine in May. That was three months ago. Now, with a “good slate of movies” for the remainder of 2020 and a 2021 film schedule that “looks really good,” Chambliss remains optimistic. “We will slowly recover,” he assures movie fans.
Key to recovery
The key to that recovery will be convincing moviegoers they can safely enjoy films in shared public spaces with strangers. “There is definitely a feeling of simultaneous excitement and anxiety,” says Hall.
To help ease those concerns, the National Association of Theatre Owners pulled together its membership to develop and implement what it describes as “expert-backed, industry-specific health and safety protocols.” More than 375 companies representing over 3,000 movie theater locations and 33,000 screens nationwide are participating in the Cinema Safe program. GTC is among them.
“We are following all CDC, state, and local guidelines in each of our locations,” says Chambliss. Moviegoers are required to wear masks except when eating refreshments. Theaters also are offering reserved seating to help maintain social distancing. Tickets are still being sold at the box office, but theater owners recommend people purchase them online. “We will have rows blocked off and our seating software will not allow you to purchase seats within a certain distance of the next closest party,” says Chambliss.
In addition to those measures, GTC and other Cinema Safe outlets have adopted more stringent cleaning protocols and are limiting touchpoint areas in the theatre.
Hall, a self-avowed movie buff, got his first film fix this week. In fact, he watched and reviewed two movies – Tenet and Bill and Ted Face the Music. “I’m excited about returning, but I will be cautious and responsible,” he says. Chambliss and his fellow theater owners hope other moviegoers will take a similar approach as they seek to revive their businesses and keep the public safe.
