social media lists of “What I’m going to do when
this is over” and you will see countless cravings
for the big screen and a tub of popcorn.
Being holed up at home has, for some, made the
difference between streaming and moviegoing
especially acute. Neither “Tiger King” nor the
bite-sized “movies in chapters” of Quibi fill
the loss of a night out at the movies. Gary
Walker, a 22-year-old in San Jose, California,
who’s studying film at San Francisco State
University, has been filling his time watching
documentaries on Netflix and series on Disney
Plus. But it doesn’t do the trick.
“I can’t wait to go back,” says Walker. “I’m just a
person who really likes the social experience
of going to the movies, not sitting at home
watching a movie by myself. Don’t get me
wrong — I like doing that, too. But it’s really
different sitting in a theater with other people.”
Theaters nationwide have shuttered indefinitely
due to the pandemic, leaving about a dozen
still open. Most are drive-ins, which have seen a
sudden resurgence after a decades-long slide.
Chains have furloughed or laid off employees,
many of whom are part-time or hourly workers.
The shutdown will almost certainly lead to the
permanent closure of some cinemas. Analysts
say that AMC Entertainment, which presides
over the nation’s largest chain, is on the cusp
of bankruptcy. To weather the storm, theater
owners -- like many other businesses -- have
sought federal aid through the coronavirus
stimulus package.
The earliest most theaters are hoping to reopen
is June. All major releases have been postponed
up until mid-July.