John Alex Nunnery
Editor
Movie theatres have been a staple of the college student lifestyle for years. Every day across the nation thousands of young people made time to go out with friends or just enjoy an evening alone in a local theatre.
This was almost a routine for some people, but with the rise of the Pandemic the movie theatre business is in jeopardy. Companies such as Regal have closed all of their theatres for an indefinite amount of time while others continue to hope for a resurgence of audience attendance.
Many students at Mississippi University for Women are excited for the return of theatres but remain cautious about when it will be safe to attend. Streaming services offer a good alternative for the time being, but movie buffs long for the traditional theatre experience.
“Honestly, I don’t foresee theaters being a thing until we have a vaccine or the numbers reach a certain point,” said Ali Glasgow a junior English Creative Writing major. “I know drive-throughs are becoming a thing again, and that’s cool, vintage, but there’s just something about seeing a traditional movie; going with friends and being in a dark room with a big screen right in front of you.”
Some theatres, like the Malco Cinema in Columbus, are opening for small periods of time and show reruns of older movies such as “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Kung-Fu Panda” in absence of new releases.
“Here in Columbus, there are so few people going to the theatre that they only have movies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said Dr. Van Roberts, a professor of Communication at The W. “I think when we come out from this, things are going to be different, even after the last pandemic things were different, movies changed in 1918 by going from small business to big business with bigger businesses pushing out the small business people; so there may be a mindset that’s different.”
People who are more at risk also may be concerned about returning to movie theatres. The possibility of cross-contamination remains high, and with the availability of concessions at the theatre, that means some people’s masks will be off.
“I think it will be a couple of years before normal moviegoing comes back. Theatres were already in a little bit of a crunch before the pandemic because people now have streaming and other options,” said Dr. Barry Smith, the chair of the Communication Department at The W.
“Movie theatres have never been known for their cleanliness, and when I think about going to a movie theatre I think: my feet stick to the floor, the armrest is a little sketchy, and so I think ‘are people really going to be doing a good job of cleaning all the surfaces, or am I rolling the dice if I’m going there?’”
While it may seem almost hopeless right now for theatres, there is still a strong belief that they will come back. Theatre’s have gone through recessions in the past and have always proven that they will come back even if shaken. While most will steer clear of theatres for now, after the pandemic there will come a time where moviegoing is a normal pastime again.