Corona Virus Effect On Theatres In The USA

[Mike Blakesley]

Well.... most of them (maybe all of them) aren't full all the time. They can probably add a few more shows, or maybe devote one or two more auditoriums to blockbusters, to the point where it might not affect grosses too much at all. If anything it might spread things out a bit more past the opening weekend.

I know our average crowd is about 15% of the seats overall, so we would be just fine at 50% capacity on all but a few nights.

[Eric Thuemmel]

Deadline had a story on this - some of the bigger locations said they wouldn't be viable at 50% capacity. They need those sold out Friday and Saturday nights to pay the bills, and you can't assume the crowd that can't make it those nights will instead come back for a weekday matinee. I think smaller venues (like our 2-screen) could survive just fine at 50%, we're under that capacity for 90% of our shows.

And now Apple TV is getting Tom Hanks "Greyhound" film, skipping theaters altogether. Things just keep getting worse.

[Marcel Birgelen]

The primary problem I have with all of this is the experience itself with all those restrictions. I was in Germany the other day, where restaurants are slowly starting up their business again, at least in the state I was in. Before you can sit down, you need to give them your contact details, which they have to register, so in case of an infection, they can "contact trace" you. This alone isn't really something that inspires confidence and must be painful for the otherwise so privacy-conscious Germans...

You order your food at a counter instead of having it taken at the table, take a seat and wait for your ordered items to arrive. Food gets delivered on a cart they just leave at your table. The whole setup with every human interaction behind perspex is pretty cold and distant. But it was nice to almost properly eat out for once since so many weeks.

Also, I came across an article (dutch, but the pictures need no translation) with a lot of pictures of how a Dutch theme-park just restarted operations with all kinds of restrictions in place. The whole thing looks like a ultra-sized game of hopscotch. I don't think I would want to experience an otherwise beautiful looking place like this, battered with warning signs, ugly crush barriers and colored floor drawings screaming at you all day.

[Mike Blakesley]

We had our re-opening show tonight, but a big storm blew in and kllled the power, so we sent everyone home. Not much of a crowd anyway, partly due to the storm I suppose. Yeah, this year can pretty much go screw itself.

We went to a restaurant in a nearby town last week to eat. Outside of the tables being spaced apart and the servers wearing masks, it was business as usual. It was so nice to go out and eat food served on plates as opposed to takeout containers.

Theme parks are probably in one of the worst positions of any business, considering their entire business model is based on getting as many people in to as small a space as possible, plus everyone wearing masks will make the place look and feel like a zombie apocalypse is going on.

[Frank Cox]

You mean it's not?

[Bobby Henderson]

Considering how insane admission prices have risen at many theme parks they can pretty much go to hell for all I care. Oklahoma City has a "minor league" theme park called Frontier City; it costs $40 per ticket plus $9 to park. No one is going to a theme park alone unless he is a villain in an action movie. So multiply that "reasonable" $40 per ticket price by at least 2 or more people.

Six Flags over Texas a little farther away in Arlington charges $80 per ticket. That $80 price doesn't include parking ($30-$40) or other premium items like the "Flash Pass" one can buy to cut in front of other people standing in line to get on a particular ride faster. I already had a negative enough attitude about theme parks long before this SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The "business innovation" of allowing people to pay extra to cut in front of other people in line is just another way to gouge customers. You're already spending a shit ton to park and get into the amusement park. With that much money blown already you're basically forced into buying the flash passes and what not to be able to ride more than 2 rides all day and not have to stand in line for many hours smelling other people's farts and arm pits.

These complaints don't even get into the zone that is Disney. Now that shit is insane. I swear the sheer cost of a trip to Disneyworld could function as a form of birth control.

[Lyle Romer]

plus everyone wearing masks will make the place look and feel like a zombie apocalypse is going on.

Everywhere that people are wearing masks makes me feel like I've entered some kind of infectious disease ward. Even though it is scientifically (maybe) the opposite, I actually feel less safe when the restaurant employees are wearing masks. It presents the image that they are infected when most likely they aren't.

[Martin McCaffery]

Well, our Governor, in her infinite wisdom, has declared Alabama safe for movie theatres and sports and all other entertainment. Meanwhile, our (Montgomery) Mayor announced yesterday there are no more ICU rooms in the hospitals, and people are being referred to Birmingham, 100 miles away.
I think we will keep the doors locked for another few weeks. No idea what AMC and New Visions have in mind.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Well, our Governor, in her infinite wisdom, has declared Alabama safe for movie theatres and sports and all other entertainment. Meanwhile, our (Montgomery) Mayor announced yesterday there are no more ICU rooms in the hospitals, and people are being referred to Birmingham, 100 miles away.

I guess many places around the world are applying for an early bird status for the second wave to hit, before the first has been subdued. The results of this social experiment will be in, in about a week or two.

These complaints don't even get into the zone that is Disney. Now that shit is insane. I swear the sheer cost of a trip to Disneyworld could function as a form of birth control.

The themepark I quoted certainly doesn't deserve what's happening to them, I know a few folks that work there and they don't deserve what's happening to them, even though their employer choose for the "socialist move" of not firing a single employee yet, everybody knows there will eventually be some major cutbacks in the near future, it won't be sustainable otherwise. For the size of the property and the quality of what is on offer, they certainly don't overcharge. Heck, even the food and beverages inside the park are still reasonably priced, compared to the ripoff pricing you pay at almost any average theme park. The whole thing at its core, actually operates as a foundation which is still publicly owned, but that such a concept can actually bring forward a working thing that people actually want to visit may be a bit too "socialist" for some.

Everywhere that people are wearing masks makes me feel like I've entered some kind of infectious disease ward. Even though it is scientifically (maybe) the opposite, I actually feel less safe when the restaurant employees are wearing masks. It presents the image that they are infected when most likely they aren't.

My problem, and you specially see this over here in Europe, where stuff is still much more fractured between countries and even their individual states/provinces, is that there is little to no consistency between official recommendations and even obligations to wear masks in certain situations. The situation also constantly changes. For example, in Europe it's still common at many gas stations to first fill up your tank and then pay at the cashier. So, I was in Germany in one town, where I filled up my car and when I entered the little service shack to pay for it, I was shouted at that I didn't wear a mask... Well, I didn't have one with me, so that was that, I was wearing gloves though... Once I made the obvious clear to him, that I couldn't pay for the fuel this way, he let me in anyway, but just this one time...

Then I went to another town, where I headed for a supermarket, not to do groceries, but just to send off some packages with German destinations, as international shipping is currently a mess. The situation in this supermarket was completely random, where about half of the customers were wearing masks. Nobody shouted or looked strange at me for not wearing a mask.

I think there is a good reason against wearing masks in most everyday situations. Most people don't know how to use them and improperly used they're more of a danger than anything else. There aren't enough masks for everybody to properly use them. Even people knowing how to use them are getting tired of wearing them.

Also, the masks that really do work aren't made from any compostable material, so they all end up in the trash. Since they're potentially toxic material, the only thing you can realistically do with it is burn it. Even though the focus may be on other things now, we shouldn't create unnecessarily create new, giant piles of trash.

[Allan Young]

Considering how insane admission prices have risen at many theme parks they can pretty much go to hell for all I care. Oklahoma City has a "minor league" theme park called Frontier City; it costs $40 per ticket plus $9 to park. No one is going to a theme park alone unless he is a villain in an action movie. So multiply that "reasonable" $40 per ticket price by at least 2 or more people.

Six Flags over Texas a little farther away in Arlington charges $80 per ticket. That $80 price doesn't include parking ($30-$40) or other premium items like the "Flash Pass" one can buy to cut in front of other people standing in line to get on a particular ride faster.

Theme park fan here. It's true that just rocking up and paying for a daily admission ticket at a Six Flags park can be pricy, but their season passes are amazing value. $85 will get you a gold pass valid for unlimited visits to any Six Flags park for a year, with free parking thrown in. Including Frontier City, now that it's also a Six Flags property.

I once bought a gold pass at Six Flags Mexico for under $50 and went on to use it across the US. It worked out at less than $5 per park.

[Van Dalton]

Also, the masks that really do work aren't made from any compostable material, so they all end up in the trash. Since they're potentially toxic material, the only thing you can realistically do with it is burn it.

Or abandoned in the side of the road. Take a good long ride around the metro part of my county (or even across the river in Multnomah) and you'll see at least two on any given day.

Even though the focus may be on other things now, we shouldn't create unnecessarily create new, giant piles of trash.

20 years ago it was piles of tangled VHS or cassette tape, or discarded audio CDs.

[Mike Blakesley]

Considering how insane admission prices have risen at many theme parks they can pretty much go to hell for all I care.

The "business innovation" of allowing people to pay extra to cut in front of other people in line is just another way to gouge customers. You're already spending a shit ton to park and get into the amusement park. With that much money blown already you're basically forced into buying the flash passes and what not to be able to ride more than 2 rides all day and not have to stand in line for many hours smelling other people's farts and arm pits.

This is the same weak argument that people use to gripe about movie theaters being too expensive, while they're still expecting multi-million-dollar facilities and the latest and greatest of everything.

A theme park is a gigantic investment, not only in the never-ending parade of new attractions which can cost $200 million and up, but in upkeep and employees, along with all the other usual expenses of running a business. A ticket to Disneyland costs about a hundred bucks, yes...but you are getting a full day of entertainment, all the attractions, parades, shows, etc. for that. The freaking fireworks display alone costs over $40,000. If you're there from opening to closing, it's less than 10 bucks an hour. If you don't want to pay for food you can bring a picnic lunch and your own bottle of water (which you can refill free at a fountain). If you don't want to pay to park, you can Uber your happy ass over.

Also, if you're only getting ride 2 rides in a whole day, you're just not planning ahead. Even on a busy day at Disney you can ride just about everything if you plan for it. It's lazy people who have most of the "problems" because they don't want to put in the planning and educate themselves.

As for the extra-charge-to-skip-the-line deal ... why not? Many industries have various tiers of service... you pay more for the best seats at a concert too, or you pay more for a little more legroom on a plane.

[Marcel Birgelen]

There is a considerable likeness between themeparks and cinemas. Both are essentially products selling some form of "escapism". And some movie theaters might certainly overcharge for their services. But I feel that many themeparks don't necessarily overcharge for their tickets, but often certainly on their "concessions" and often pretty forgettable merchandise... a bit like movie theaters too, although I don't know many movie theaters selling souvenirs.

Regarding Disney: As with everything Disney, you pay for a Disney premium and in general, you also get a premium product. Having worked as independent contractor on some Disney projects, alongside other themepark projects of competitors, I'm still impressed with the amount of detail, dedication and outright love for the job Disney generally puts into their themepark "product", even though it's still essentially a VERY commercial product. I don't necessarily like their current trend of franchise milking, but compared to other players in the same business, they certainly still offer top-tier products in all areas: technologically, theming and story telling and they're not shy of investing massive amounts into that. (At least, that was the situation before the current zombie crisis struck.)

As for the "extra-charge-to-skip-the-line" products: I do have a mixed feeling about them. Yes, paying extra for premium services is nothing really new, we've had "classes" on ships, trains, planes for ages. You can buy premium tickets at a show, concert, etc. But I've always found those "skip-the-line" products a bit of a cheap sell-out. They're also often destructive to the capacity of the "standby line" of an attraction. It's the same with that horrendous AMC Stubs Premiere thing that let's you skip the concessions line, it just doesn't feel right. There just is something different between getting a "free upgrade " to an XXL popcorn, than being able to skip the line of "those other suckers".

Also, I've got a double feeling regarding those "themepark" planning tools, like the whole Disney MagicBand/FastPass+ thing and comparable products others are starting to roll out. While I understand the need for capacity planning, especially for popular attractions, shows, restaurants, etc., it may be comparable to reserved seating at a movie theater. While it may be "relaxing" to know that stuff is planned, booked and reserved beforehand, it also takes away a lot of spontaneity out of your visit, which, to me, is still quite an important aspect of a vacation or quality free time: You're not obliged to do stuff, you can do it if you like it.

[Martin McCaffery]

Was checking on Comscore to see if anything in the state has taken the opportunity to open up and noticed this in the code description section: PA: Pandemic
Yes they have a code for Pandemic. Wonder how long they will keep that code available.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I was wondering if a local restaurant would take their "Corona Shrimp" off their menu, but noop, still there. Maybe it will be their best-selling item once they open up again.