Unmasking AMC’s Reopening
Ever since theaters have been temporarily closed down, a common question has been when will they open back up and what will they do to ensure the safety of their customers. Less than two weeks ago, Adam Aron, the CEO and President of AMC stated in an interview with Variety that masks would not be necessary for patrons since “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those who believed strongly that it is not necessary.” Following this interview, people on Twitter voiced their opinions on AMC’s statement. One such responder was writer Dave Scheidt, who tweeted, “You are an embarrassment and I hope you know how many people you are putting in danger because of this including your vulnerable employees you are forcing back to work.” Despite reversing their decision a day later and making masks mandatory, some regular theatergoers and Film and Television graduate students have some opinions on the statements and what they want to see implemented at AMC when they reopen during COVID. No managers or employees were available for questions since theaters are temporarily closed.
“If AMC is going to reopen, they absolutely need to require that patrons wear masks and limit the number of people allowed not just in the showings, but in different sections of the building,” according to Chloe Spencer, a Film and Television graduate student at SCAD. Currently, the occupancy rate of theaters varies by the state since some theaters in specific states have a fixed percentage for occupancy, or the owner implements the max occupancy. Rhett Stuart, another graduate student and passionate film fan, brought up, “Unless theaters have an employee stationed in each theater to make sure that patrons are all wearing masks it will be incredibly difficult to ensure that everyone wears a mask throughout the entire film.” Even if AMC enforces a mask rule, not every audience member will follow it as soon as the lights go down. Conor Brophy, a graduate student in the same program, believes “they need to wipe down seats after each showing, provide hand sanitizer in and around theaters and designate empty seats between parties.”
“I do not plan to return to the theaters until the number of coronavirus cases in my state decrease,” Chloe explains. On the other side of the spectrum, Conor states, “So if they are open for business, that’s enough for me that says they are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of the staff and guests.” AMC’s website details its plan for reopening. AMC will offer seating caps in auditoriums, regularly disinfect high contact and traffic areas, put up signs for social distancing, and provide a reduced menu for customers. Also, employees and managers will be screened for health status and temperature, wash their hands, and wear masks. As stated before, customers will also need to wear masks. Some additional measures include free hand sanitizer and restricting cash purchases. Even with these implementations, it does not impress everyone. “These are good steps, but theaters are inherently set up to not be a good place for COVID-19 prevention,” according to Rhett. Despite committing to social distancing and masks, it cannot take away the fact that a theatergoer is still sitting in an enclosed space with a large number of people. As Rhett explains, “I hate to say it, but I think it will be a long time before I go back to a theater.”
Initially, AMC aimed for a reopening date of July 15 to capitalize on the changed release dates of Mulan and Tenet, two of the biggest films of the year. As these tentpoles recently moved to August, AMC pushed back their reopening to July 30. As for reopening, specific theaters will reopen by certain dates instead of opening them all at once. But some fans are not convinced by the aspect of big blockbusters to return to an AMC during COVID. Stated by Chloe, “There are no measures a theater could take or new exciting film that would convince me to go back.”
It will take time for AMC to return to normal. They are making the right precautions to prepare when they reopen. But, it is hard to imagine a pre-quarantine packed theater in the imagination. Let alone a full theater practicing social distancing. As AMC plans to open in late July, it must be remembered how they kept pushing back the release date. It may take a while for AMC to return to the crowded theaters before COVID, even more, to convince some big movie buffs to venture back to the giant screen.
