ANGELA WEISS / AFP
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UNITED STATES – The Governor of the State of New York Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday February 22 that the movie theater will be able to reopen on March 5, i.e. almost a year to the day after their administrative closure due to pandemic. The reopening will be done with a maximum gauge of 25% of the usual capacity and a limit of 50 spectators per room, said the governor.
It’s a breath of fresh air for the movie industry at United States, deprived of its two largest markets, Los Angeles and New York. In New York, theaters have been closed since March 17, 2020, by decree of the mayor, Bill de Blasio.
The decision comes as the number of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in New York City returns to early December levels, the start of the second peak of the pandemic. The city will now be aligned with the rest of the state, where theaters were allowed to reopen as early as mid-October.
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NEW: Movie theaters in New York City can reopen on March 5 at 25% capacity, with no more than 50 people per screen.
Assigned seating, social distancing and other health precautions will be in place.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) February 22, 2021
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An absence of attractive films
However, some cinemas in the rest of the state have decided to remain closed, believing that a reopening would not be economically viable. The low tonnage, restrictions on the sale of food and drink, as well as the lack of films likely to attract viewers, have thus dissuaded several operators from taking the plunge. The release schedule has been shaken by the studios hollywood that have delayed the arrival of most big budget movies. Disney and Warner have maintained a few titles, but opted for a simultaneous release, as for “Raya and the Last Dragon”, which will arrive in theaters and on the platform. Disney+ early March.
For the American cinema owners association (NATO), “the reopening will give confidence to film distributors to set release dates and keep them,” she said. “It is also an important step in the recovery of an entire industry.”
Adam Aron, CEO of the AMC channel, the largest in the United States, announced in a statement sent to AFP that the group’s 13 theaters in New York would reopen on March 5.
Asked by AFP, Andrew Elgart, independent owner of three cinemas in New York, indicated that he would “probably not” reopen on March 5, although he is studying the possibility of doing so later. It is “not certain” that a restart will be profitable under these conditions. There are currently no plans to reopen in Los Angeles.
AT San Francisco, the third largest market in the country, the authorities authorized the reopening in October, but many operators have chosen to remain closed, deeming the conditions imposed too disadvantageous economically.
See also on The HuffPost: Movie theaters or streaming, will the cinema of the “next world” really be different?
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