Movie theater owners to Cuomo: What about us? - Times Union

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SCHENECTADY – With bowling alleys opening and gyms next week set to receive instructions on how to open, the operators of New York’s movie theaters are wondering what happened to them.

Continued closures will put some independent owners out of business and it will keep bringing havoc to the film industry in general, industry insiders say. So far 42 states have allowed theaters to reopen but New York and California, which are major markets, remain closed, meaning film releases are delayed or go straight to streaming.

"We'd like to get some answers out of the governor's office," said Joe Masher, president of the Theater Owners Association and COO of Bow Tie Cinemas.

"Why not movie theaters?" Masher asked during a press conference Saturday at downtown Schenectady's Bow Tie cineplex. "I feel like we are on the same par as churches or bowling alleys," Masher added, explaining that people in all three tend to face in the same direction and can be kept apart from one another by limiting the seating.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week said bowling alleys will be able to open on Monday with pandemic precautions. And he said state officials plan to release guidelines for the reopening of gyms and fitness centers, although they don't yet have a firm reopening date.

Taking to reporters on a tour through the empty cineplex, which is just down the block from the also-closed Proctors theater, Masher explained how they are equipped with MERV-11 air filters and are about to lay down distance markers on the floors.

If and when they reopen, moviegoers would be spaced six feet apart with lots of empty seats in each screening room. Tickets and snacks would be preordered on a phone app so people can simply walk up to a kiosk and pick up their food.

Masher stressed that his organization has been talking back and forth with the governor’s office as well as the departments and divisions of health, budget and economic development. But he said they are wondering why they’ve gotten no feedback yet regarding how and when they might reopen – a fact that came into sharp focus on Friday when Cuomo said bowling alleys could reopen and gym rules were forthcoming.

“We’ve given him a list of our protocols,” Masher said, referring to the safety precautions theater owners plan to take when they reopen.

“We have no indication from New York on what’s going on,” he said.

When asked about the movie theaters’ status, Cuomo spokesman Jason Conwall said they are continuing to talk with theater owners but cautioned that COVID-19 cases are now rising in other states even though New York has sharply lowered its infection rate through the many precautions taken months ago.

“Reports show that infections are rising in more than 35 states, and that officials in those states have been forced to reclose businesses and other parts of the economy that were opened too early,” Conwall said.

“Our number one priority remains protecting the health of New Yorkers — and we are continuing to look at the issue and are in discussions with the industry about appropriate safety protocols.”

While this theater is equipped with MERV-11 air filters, Cuomo earlier in the summer said that shopping malls could reopen with denser MERV-13 filters to protect against contagion.

MERV, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, is a filter rating in which a higher number filters out smaller air contaminants. Masher said they would be willing to buy the MERV-13 filters but noted there have been backlogs in ordering such equipment.

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California had allowed its theaters to open but that was reversed on July 13 amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Masher said 42 states nationwide have let their theaters reopen. But with the major markets of New York and California still closed, the impact is affecting other phases of the movie industry from distributors to filmmakers.

Some expected blockbusters such as Christopher Nolan’s espionage/sci-fi thriller Tenet has been postponed for the third time last week with no firm U.S. release date.

Other movies like Trolls: World Tour, Mulan and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods went right to streaming.

Masher added that 10,000 full and part-time movie theater employees in New York have been laid off or furloughed since the March shut-down.

In some small towns, movie theaters serve as a hub for entertainment, helping attract people to nearby restaurants and other businesses, he said.

Moreover, the growing popularity of home streaming had already put traditional theaters in a pinch prior to the pandemic.

“If we don’t open soon we’re going to lose the rest of the 2020 calendar,” he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU

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