Cinemark plans to open itsmovie theatersin San Francisco and Santa Clara counties on Friday, Oct. 30, but you are not going to be able to eat popcorn or sip on soda while you watch “Tenet” due tolocal restrictions.
The nation’s third-largest cinema chain announced it plans to bring back more of its Bay Area locations on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the same day it reopened five of its venues in Alameda County.
“People want to get out into a safe, clean and healthy environment — we know the most important thing we can do is create that environment,” Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi told The Chronicle during a visit to Century San Francisco 9.
As part of Cinemark’s nationwide reopening plan, he said the company has adopted a series of new protocols that include additional training for employees, disinfecting auditoriums between screenings, staggering showtimes, setting capacity limits, increasing airflow and sanitizing high-touch surfaces every 30 minutes.
The company initially decided to hold out on reopening its theaters in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties because ofrestrictions on consuming food or drinksin theaters.
In reaction to Mayor London Breed’s ban on concession sales, several theaters that are members of theNational Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada — including Cinemark, AMC Theatres and Alamo Drafthouse —agreed unanimously on Oct. 7that their theaters in San Francisco would not reopen.
But Cinemark eventually acceded to the mandate, though Zoradi said they will continue to negotiate with public health officials, especially as those counties advance to less restrictive tiers on California’s reopening plan.
“We feel very strongly that concessions should be allowed,” he said. “You can go to an indoor restaurant and have lunch with up to 50% capacity. But you can’t do that in a movie theater? We are hopeful they see that and are willing to be consistent.”
Cinemarkwas the first major chain in the Bay Area to bring back the indoor movie experience, opening several of its Northern California locations in September, including theaters in San Mateo, Novato, Redwood City, San Bruno, Daly City, Vallejo, San Rafael and Napa.
首轮的大片的影院将打开like Christopher Nolan’s“Tenet,”“The Honest Thief,”“The Empty Man” and “The New Mutants,” as well as a selection of “comeback classics” including “Jurassic Park,” “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at a discounted price to lure moviegoers back.
“We feel like we can prove to them that if it’s safe and clean, then the movies will come back,” Zoradi said.
大流行以来关闭restr电影院ict large gatherings, theater chains have gotten creative, providing virtual streaming options and private screenings for small groups. Zoradi said Cinemark has had particular success with its private watch parties, which allow guests to book a theater for up to 20 friends to watch any movie currently showing for $99 to $149, but he realizes that it is not a sustainable business model for the chain as the pandemic drags on.
“I know people want to get out of the house and come back to the cinema,” Zoradi said. “You can watch great things at home, but people like to get out of the house. They want to have a shared emotional experience.”
The company expects to hire back at least 90% of its employees who were put out of work during the pandemic and has contingency plans to furlough them in case counties fall back into more restrictive tiers that would require theaters to shut down again.
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