Sharing a dimly lit room with fellow patrons, munching on a tub of fresh buttered popcorn, and laughing or shrieking at an enormous screen are some experiences movie-lovers have been missing for months.
A cherished pastime is taking a major hit since going to the movies is not an option during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Barbara County.
It has been four months since the coronavirus outbreak slammed indoor cinema doors shut, and the movie theaters across the region have yet to re-open.
While numerous businesses are struggling because of the pandemic, plenty of uncertainties remain about when indoor movie theaters can welcome back film fans.
“The most unfortunate part about this is it hasn’t changed from the beginning to now,” said David Corwin, president of Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Theatres Corp. “There are many unknowns.”
Metropolitan Theatres officials were hopeful the shutdowns were temporary only.
“In knowledge, we didn’t know how long,” Corwin said. “Having never been in that position before, it was a hard pill to swallow just knowing that we couldn’t operate.”
Metropolitan Theatres operates seven locations across Santa Barbara County’s South Coast, as well as movie theaters in Colorado, Idaho and Utah.
The sites in Santa Barbara include The Arlington Theatre, Fiesta 5 Theatre, Metro 4 Theatre, Paseo Nuevo Cinemas, Hitchcock Cinema & Public House, and both the Fairview Theatre and Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta.
The cinema experience is left in the dark as new coronavirus cases rise.
“Movie theaters, for the most part, our company and nation’s history have provided people an outlet from reality,” Corwin said. “Regardless of what is going on — we are open 365 days a year, and I don’t know a time when they have been shut for a day, let alone for four months.”
Other cinemas in the county, such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Riviera Theatre and Regal Edwards in Santa Maria, have made their screens unlit because of health orders.
“Per state orders for Santa Barbara County, effective immediately SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre is temporarily closed,” the Riviera Theatre wrote on its website. “We look forward to coming back together as a community using the power of film.”
Regal had a similar message to consumers on its website.
“Regal announces closure of all theatre locations starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, as a precaution amid the current circumstances,” Regal wrote on its website. “All theaters will remain closed until further notice.”
Under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s four-phase plan to reopen the state, indoor movie theaters are given the go-ahead to flip on the lights in Stage 3 of his plan.
Newsom last month allowed counties to begin moving into Stage 3, but Santa Barbara County is on the state’s watch list for not meeting specific metrics regarding testing and new cases.
Newsom in July ordered a shutdown of several indoor operations, including movie theaters, because of COVID-19.
Following Newsom’s recommendation, county Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg issued a health officer order that mandated the closure of movie theaters and other indoor operations.
The National Assn. of Theatre Owners, a trade organization representing more than 35,000 screens in all 50 states, asked Congress for relief measures and loan guarantees because theaters are closed in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The pandemic could lead to devastating impacts for movie theaters, and has put the businesses across the nation at risk of going dark for good, according to the group’s petition.
A social media hashtag campaign — #SaveYourCinema — is used to collect enough signatures on the e-petition in support of the RESTART Act.
The idea is to put some legislation forward to provide relief to businesses that have been significantly affected during the pandemic.
“Movie theaters had to shut down early on in the pandemic, and will be among the last to recover,” the NATO states. “Over the past few months, movie theaters have earned virtually no revenue amidst mounting fixed expenses. Even when theaters can reopen, the road for recovery will be long because of the very nature of movie theaters as public gathering places.”
The biggest challenge facing Metropolitan Theatres in the midst of the pandemic is the inability to operate, “whether we want to or think we can provide a safe environment,” Corwin said.
“We haven’t been able to,” he said. “That has been frustrating to have no control over that.”
The pandemic caused sudden unemployment in the county, and Metropolitan Theatres in March laid off or furloughed 425 of its 450 employees, Corwin said. The company hopes and expects to bring back workers “once we are through this,” he said.
The company received funding from the Payroll Protection Program, but the relief package detailed specifics about what those loan proceeds could be used for, with the majority related to labor costs, Corwin explained.
It’s “problematic for our industry and others in that there were no jobs for people to come back to,” he said.
Proceeds help pay the health insurance for all furloughed employees, as well as compensation for those still working, and enabled Metropolitan Theatres to pay utilities and keep the buildings running so they are ready when the theaters can reopen again.
Metropolitan Theatres officials are navigating and understanding the different federal programs that might be available to help during the uncertain period.
Corwin added that Metropolitan Theatres is re-engaging with its landlords and partners, and working on those relationships.
“We need each other,” he added. “For the most part, they have been understanding that what has been going on is not our doing.”
When health officials give the green light, movie-going will look a little different post-shutdown to provide a safe and enjoyable experience.
Metropolitan Theatres formulated reopening plans with enhanced safety procedures and cleaning protocols, as well as other measures to protect its guests and workers, Corwin said.
“We have been working on new procedures for reopening,” Corwin said. “It just continues to get pushed back, unfortunately.”
The ongoing pandemic forced sharp adjustments, and Metropolitan Theatres is “trying to generate revenue wherever we can,” Corwin said.
The company launched a new website, phone application and offered virtual cinema during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metropolitan Theatres also set up a promotion where people can enjoy their favorite snack-bar items in the comfort of their homes. That revenue is covering the cost of employees who have been brought back to run the program, Corwin said
“It has been nominal,” Corwin said. “We virtually had no revenue since the middle of March.”
Metropolitan Theatres — a 97-year-old, fourth-generation company — is committed to the business, Corwin said, adding that a movie theater setting might pose less COVID-19 risk than people think.
“A theater environment is safer than many other operations that have been allowed to continue,” Corwin said. “You are going into a fairly large size room, where you are going to sit for a couple of hours, and not interact with anybody else.”
Metropolitan Theatres is looking forward to welcoming and seeing moviegoers on reopening day, Corwin said.
“We have done everything we can to provide a safe environment,” he said. “It’s a much more safe place to be than other places.
“People are going to want to get out, have an experience on the big screen with great sound, and escape from what we all have been dealing with over the last few months,” he continued.
(Video courtesy of Metropolitan Theatres / Warren Eig of Baby Boom Pictures)
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
