Some movie theaters are preparing to cautiously reopen, which seems like it can be done safely if people are properly spaced, although I’m not sure how I’m supposed to wear a mask and eat jujubes at the same time.
But the movie business is facing lots of problems besides its theaters being closed. One is that there are basically no new movies to show. The major studios stopped releasing new movies in March because there were so few theaters operating.
A minor-looking Russell Crowe film called Unhinged, which was going to be released theatrically by a brand-new indie player called Solstice Studios in September, has been moved up to a July 1 release. That is set to be the first nationwide movie launch since the lockdown. The new Christoper Nolan $200 million “Quantum Cold War movie” Tenet is still set to launch July 17, eagerly backed by its director, who thinks it’s important to get people back to the movies, but Warner Bros. has to be very, very nervous about the likely effect on the box office numbers due to audience fears about getting infected. On the other hand, Tenet will, if it is indeed released on July 17, pretty much have the nation’s movie theaters to itself. What if all twelve theaters at the multiplex are showing it? People could have lots of empty seats around them.
In the meantime, theater owners looking for products are proposing to raid the libraries of film classics. They think Americans will come back to the movies to see features like Jaws, Psycho, the Hunger Games movies, and the Harry Potter series. Personally, I’d love to have one more crack at seeing David Lean’s epics on the big screen. I’ve seen Lawrence of Arabia in a theater twice, and Doctor Zhivago once. Tickets might be sold for as little as $2 to $5.
The other retro development is drive-in theaters, the original socially distant movie-going option. New York governor Andrew Cuomo gave the okay for drive-ins to reopen in the Empire State starting Friday, which raises the question: Are there still drive-in movie theaters in New York? Yes, 28 of them, according to this site — more than any other state. There are 300 or so in the country. The closest one to New York City appears to be the one in Warwick, one hour north of the metropolis, which is already selling tickets to its weekend offerings: Bad Boys for Life, The Invisible Man, Trolls World Tour, etc.