Movie theaters might be slowly making a comeback in the coming months across the country. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that New York City movie theaters will reopen on March 5, 2021, almost a year after their initial closure. However, the theaters will be at 25% capacity, 50 people maximum per screen, with masks, and the common COVID-19 protocols.
Theaters across other parts of New York have been opened since October with similar protocols. Roughly 38% of theaters are open in the United States. After this announcement, more theaters across the country may follow suit.
This is huge news for the entertainment industry, as New York City is one of the biggest market for any size film. Major locations, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles theaters have been all but closed for the duration of the pandemic. With COVID-19 cases taking a sharp dive for the last few months due to a lack of traveling holidays and vaccinations, this might be the final few weeks for the foreseeable future that theaters in New York City will be closed. However, the last year has taught the public that anything is possible.
The announcement does come at an interesting time for Cuomo, who after finding a lot of success at the start of the pandemic, has been tied up in controversies for the last few months. Including a nursing home-scandal and an odd book release about his leadership during the pandemic, while the pandemic was and is still going on.
Regardless, cinephiles in New York City can rejoice at the idea of visiting their favorite theaters once more. Though, some might feel safer to remain at home, and see some films released on HBO Max or other streaming sites as more and more studios are pulling or limiting theatrical releases.
Other cinemas around the globe are also considering reopening soon including Quebec theaters on February 26 and English theaters in May.
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