Scott Nelson of Milwaukee has been a big movie fan since the age of 4.
"I've gone to big movie premieres, and I've always loved movies," Nelson said. "It's my big hobby."
On Sept. 3, he saw "Tenet" at the Marcus Ridge Cinema in New Berlin — his third trip to the movies since theaters began reopening.
"It was killing me for months having it all shut down," he said.
Like most everything else these days, going to the movies looks very different now compared to pre-pandemic times. Now, employees and guests are required to wear face masks, and there are signs everywhere, reminding everyone to social distance. But many movie-goers in the Milwaukee area said they are just happy to have something back that gives them a sense of normalcy.
All Marcus Theatres closed March 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"It will be a day that will go down in history," said Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres.
Marcus Theatres has 91 locations across the country, most of which were closed for about five months.
Six theaters kicked off the reopening of Marcus Theatres in mid-June. As of Sept. 3, 72 had reopened.
While it's going to be "a journey back," Rodriguez said attendance is growing.
"We're excited as an industry, we're excited as a theater company to get our theaters back open again, and for the safety protocols we've put in place," he said.
Safety precautions at the theaters
Marcus has implemented what it calls the "Movie STAR" program at its theaters.
The "S" stands for "social distancing." Markers are placed on floors and in restrooms to show people how far away they should be standing from one another, Rodriguez said.
Seating inside the auditoriums is done in a "checkerboard concept," he said. Two seats worth of space is kept to the right, left, front and back of guests.
The "T" represents "thorough cleaning." Rodriguez said cleaning is conducted frequently throughout the theaters, and there are sanitization teams scheduled throughout the day.
"A" stands for "app-ordering" or "website-ordering," he said, to encourage guests to pre-order tickets, as well as concessions, to provide a "low-contact environment."
The "R" is for respecting guests and associates, especially in regard to mask-wearing. If someone comes to the theater without a mask, they will be provided one. Guests are to wear masks, even in the auditoriums, except for when they're consuming food or beverages.
"I think our ability to continue to build trust and consumer confidence is essential," Rodriguez said. "We want our guests to understand that when they come to Marcus Theatres, that they're going to have a healthy, safe and highly entertaining environment."
AMC Theatres, the nation's largest chain, announced its rollout plan in mid-August to have more than 100 theaters open Aug. 20, and about two-thirds of its venues open by Sept. 3.
AMC Mayfair, the chain's only Milwaukee-area location, reopened Aug. 27.
AMC has implemented "AMC Safe & Clean" policies and procedures, according to its website.
Auditoriums have been reduced to 40% capacity or less, based on municipality guidelines.
Masks are required, and are available for purchase for $1. Like Marcus, AMC requires masks inside auditoriums unless food or drinks are being consumed.
Guests are reminded to social distance via signs throughout the theater, and employees' temperatures are checked before starting their shifts, the website said.
The theaters are encouraging cashless transactions, and have simplified menu selections to reduce lines.
Hand sanitation stations have been placed throughout Marcus and AMC theaters.
West Bend Cinema, an independently owned and operated 10-screen theater, has been following its own set of safety protocols since reopening May 20.
While attendance has "definitely been slow," according to Abigail Haas, an opening shift manager, she said it has picked up as new movies have started being released.
The cinema has set its capacity to 30%, and guests are asked to wear masks.
While the auditoriums don't have assigned seating, customers are required to sit 6 feet apart, which employees do check, she said. Markings on the floor help customers space 6 feet apart.
After a movie gets out, the seats are bleached, and the auditoriums are cleaned. After each transaction, counters are wiped down, and doors are sanitized after being used, Haas said.
"We don't want anyone getting sick," she said. "We want everyone, all of our customers, to be as healthy and happy as they can be while coming to see their movies."
How customers are feeling
"I think the greatest joy I've personally received is watching and seeing it, first-hand, the level of enjoyment and excitement from our guests and from our associates, being back open again," Rodriguez said.
Before the pandemic, Thiensville resident John Krohn and his wife, Gaile Colla, would go to the Marcus North Shore Cinema in Mequon every week for $5 Tuesdays.
The theater reopened Aug. 28. While they missed the first Tuesday back, they made it in the next day for a showing of "Unhinged."
"It's been closed for a while," Krohn said. "We just wanted to do something different, get out and watch a movie."
Unlike pre-pandemic times, Krohn noted that they didn't have to wait in any lines since they were the only customers in the lobby. Safety-wise, he said he felt "good."
"You gotta live life, too, a little bit," he said. "What are you going to do?"
"It's a little scary because of what's going on with the pandemic," said Jennifer Uddin of Milwaukee after seeing "Tenet" at the Marcus South Shore Cinema in Oak Creek on Sept. 3. "But it feels good to go, a little, as close to normal as we can."
This was Uddin's second time back at the movies with her kids Amira, 11, and Victorro, 10. They had seen "The New Mutants" the week it opened at Marcus BistroPlex Southridge in Greendale.
She said both times, everyone she encountered was "practicing safe social distancing."
"I was joking, saying this is the safest place in town to be because there's nobody here," Nelson said while at the Marcus Ridge Cinema.
He said when he has seen people, they have been wearing masks. He noted that the movie theater seats are taped off upon entry, so employees can identify which have been used and need to be cleaned.
At the first two movies he saw, he said he was the only one in the auditorium.
Restaurants inside the theaters
The Zaffiro's restaurants that are inside Marcus Theatres have also reopened for dine-in service.
Unlike most theaters that closed completely during the pandemic, Marcus North Shore Cinema and Marcus Ridge Cinema are two of three Marcus theaters that have full-service Zaffiro's restaurants.
Both temporarily closed March 17, but reopened for curbside pickup a couple days later. Now, they both have dine-in available again.
Jason Altendorf of Port Washigton stopped by Zaffiro's Mequon location with his kids Sept. 2 to catch the Bucks game after running errands.
They chose to stop in for the "big screens" and "good food."
While Altendorf's family hasn't made it back to a Marcus Theatre for a movie yet, they've seen "Sonic," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Batman" at West Bend Cinema.
"We were comfortable," he said. "There have only been a handful of people in each theater, so we felt pretty safe. It was nice to see a movie on the big screen and have movie theater popcorn, too."
Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.
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