While they were delighted to be able to reopen for the spring break, cinema owners could instead choose to remain closed.
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It is that public health does not allow them for the moment to sell food on the spot, nor to the customers to consume it in the rooms, confirmed a government source to TVA Nouvelles.
The news came as a surprise to the owner of Guzzo Cinemas, Vincent Guzzo, who appeared to learn this detail during an interview on the program “À votre affaires”.
“That’s not what we were told. We were told that we have to keep the mask on when we are in the room, but that we can take our mask off to eat and drink, but then we have to put it back on. You just don’t have to be in the room without a mask, ”he said.
“It’s going to be a problem in the same way as the curfew at 8 p.m. […] We will try to resolve that, ”he added.
Several movie theater owners in the province said it was not profitable to open if the sale of food was not allowed. According to several players in the sector, food counters represent nearly 50% of income for some cinemas.
“We toured our members to get their point of view. We will settle this tomorrow. But very clearly, I am not surprised to hear that there are owners who will not want to open, ”confirmed the co-president of the Association of Quebec Cinemas Owners, Éric Bouchard.
“Chances are we’re not opening right now. I know that all my colleagues are doing their calculations, ”added the owner of the Pine cinema in Sainte-Adèle, in the Laurentians, Tom Fermanian.
“In addition, we will have to cut our 8 pm performances. We cannot be profitable under such conditions, ”confirmed Paul Langevin, co-owner of the Le Tapis Rouge cinema in Trois-Rivières.
A meeting between movie theater owners and the government is due to take place on Wednesday. The question of the sale and consumption of food will certainly be on the menu.
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