Theaters will be limited to 25% of capacity, with a maximum of 50 people per auditorium, which could benefit smaller, independent theaters, rather than large multiplex chains.
Independents like IFC have been offering new films online through its IFC Center at Home, featuring such recent releases as MLK/FBI, the searing documentary about the FBI’s harrassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the rest of the civil rights movement, and Shoah, the equally searing film about the Holocaust.
IFC also has been offering online classes about all aspects of documentary making. And you can catch up with hundreds of IFC Center hits on our sister company’s streaming service, IFC Films Unlimited.
Dusting off the projectors and cleaning the seats is just part of the battle.
Getting people to sit in an enclosed space with 49 other people for two hours or more is one issue, as is getting blockbuster movies that draw people in.
According to Variety, re-opening theaters in NYC has significance far beyond the Big Apple.
With multiplexes in the most populous city in the country shuttered, studios were forced to delay their biggest movies, or show them on streaming services such as Hulu, which offered blockbuster subscription deals to lure audiencesNitehawk C.
Theater Chains in NYC
AMC Theatres, which has the biggest footprint in the country, plans to reopen all 13 New York City locations on March 5, with social distancing and automatic seat blocking in each auditorium, mandatory mask wearing, and upgraded air filtration with MERV-13 air filters, as well as many other important health, sanitization and cleanliness efforts.
- AMC will be offering snacks and drinks through contactless ordering and payment, via a QR code.
Regal Cinemas locations have been closed since September and reportedly won’t reopen until studios begin releasing more franchise movies.
Cinemark, the third largest national chain, does not have any locations in NYC.
What to See at IFC Center
IFC features independent films, such as those shown at the Sundance Film Festival, including these important films:
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Six Minutes to Midnight
More Independent Movie Theaters
Manhattan
Cinema Village - reopening early April
Film Forum - reopening April 2nd, snack concession will be closed
IPIC - re=opening March 31, with a limited snack menu
Angelika Film Center and Village East Cinema - order snacks through Angelika’s mobile app.
Metrograph - no opening date announced
Film at Lincoln Center - no opening date announced
Quad Cinema - no opening date announced
Brooklyn
Nitehawk Ciinema Williamsburg and Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park - FREE popcorn for health care workers with an ID and limited snacks.
Alpine Cinema Bay Ridge - reopening early April
Alamo Drafthouse, which also offers in-theater dining, has not announced an opening date
Williamsburg Cinemas - open weekends only, starting March 12, concession stands open
Cobble HIll Cinemas - open weekends only, starting March 19; concession stands open
Queens
Cinemart Cinemas - reopening early April
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.