The movie theater strikes back

It has been a rough 18 months for movie theaters. After being forced to shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some thought this might be the last blow for the big screen, as global streaming services began releasing films previously meant for movie theaters.

As the pandemic waxed and waned, theater owners remained hopeful that moviegoers would once again sit in those red velour seats. And, starting last spring, those seats slowly began to fill up.

“More people were coming to the movie theaters in July than had been coming in April, as cases were dropping,” said Gregory Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theaters. “Then we had Delta.”

Laemmle Theaters is a 75-year-old, family-owned Southern California movie theater chain known for screening both independent and big-budget films.

Now that COVID-19 cases are decreasing in California again, USC students are preparing to return to the theater.

For Jianna Herrera, going to the movies is about spending time with her family. “It’s about that quality time, just being there with them,” she said. Before covid, she went to the theater about once a month. However, Herrera, a sophomore studying linguistics and cognitive science, has not been to a movie theater since the pandemic began.

Delaney Demsher, a political science and communications major, has been to the movies once since the pandemic began. She said it was a stressful experience. “People were coughing around me,” Demsher said, “so I was kind of anxious the whole time.”

Demsher, however, still considers herself a fan of going to the movie theater. “It’s more exciting than watching it at home,” she said. “It’s more of a social experience.” Demsher said she is excited to see “Dear Evan Hansen,” which comes to theaters Thursday.

In the coming months, an extensive list of big-budget films are scheduled for release. This includes the new James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” Marvel’s “Eternals” and a remake of Frank Herbert’s “Dune.”

Cinema and media studies major Ahmad McCutcheon used to go to the movies every week. But since March 2020, he has not returned. “I haven’t been ready to be in an enclosed space,” McCutcheon said. He does, however, have some of his cinema studies classes in a movie theater.

For McCutchen, watching a movie in theaters is a social experience. “It’s a chance to see movies on the big screen,” he said. “Being in a space with other people and seeing it at the same time as them is just a shared experience.”

Before the pandemic, drama major Ali Gutierrez went to the movies once or twice a week. In the past few months, she has returned to the movie theater. “It’s been so nice,” she said, “I love the experience of going to a movie because I feel like I can get out of my world and get into somebody else’s for a while.”

Gutierrez said she doesn’t feel like the movie experience is that different from before — except that it’s harder to eat popcorn. “If anything, it’s a little bit nicer because it isn’t as crowded.”

Even if some patrons are returning to movie theaters, their sales have been devastated by the pandemic. Between September 2019 and September 2020, box office sales were down 87.5%. While this September isn’t over, the release of Marvel’s “Shang-Chi”—a box office success—has led to a significant increase between this year and last.

After the success of “Shang-Chi” in theaters, Disney announced last week that the rest of its 2021 films would be released exclusively in theaters. Other films like “Dune” will be released simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters, against the filmmaker’s wishes.

Laemmle is hopeful the upcoming commercial films will bring all moviegoers back to the theater. “We hope that as people start hearing about bigger box office things, they will jump on board and decide that they are ready to come to movie theaters,” he said.

Laemmle also said some moviegoers have been reluctant to go to the theater because they want to protect their families. “A lot of parents and grandparents are still being super careful because they’re worried about infecting their kids and grandkids,” he said.

In Los Angeles County, masks are required in movie theaters—except when sitting and eating concessions. Laemmle Theaters also added a one-seat buffer between parties to maintain distancing.

Still, Laemmle is optimistic that the coming months will bring a movie-theater Renaissance.

Laemmle said he believes that once people come back to the movies, they will return for regular visits. “For a lot of people, movie-going is a regular kind of thing,” he said. “It’s a habit that people have lost, and it’s a habit that we need to restart.”