After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the reopening of movie theaters in New York City, there has been excitement, and there has been caution. Here in St. Paul, Minnesota theaters reopened in early January, so what does New York City’s theaters opening mean for the industry?
New York City is one of the two largest movie theater markets in America, with the other being Los Angeles, of course. With one of the city’s largest markets being able to open at limited capacity as more and more vaccines get distributed, the movie theater industry will get a much-needed push after the pandemic has heavily damaged it.
However, another problem looms over the industry: the pandemic-era rise of streaming services.
In the pandemic, streaming services have taken advantage of this time when we are stuck in our homes. We’ve seen this with big movie releases specific to certain streaming services like Amazon Prime Video with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” or HBO Max with “Wonder Woman 1984.” This, coupled with the cheaper prices per movie and the variety of options that streaming services offer, will pose a problem as we slowly transition out of pandemic living.
If movie theaters can keep exclusivity for a good amount of box-office hits and keep innovating their entertainment systems, their future may be good.
So, what movies will be showing?
On March 5, the day that NYC theaters opened, movies such as “Chaos Walking,” “Coming 2 America” and “Raya and the Last Dragon” came out in theaters. Interestingly enough, “Raya and the Last Dragon” can be streamed on Disney+ with the premier pass and on HBO Max. “Godzilla vs. Kong” comes out March 31 and will be available on HBO Max. It looks to be a classically entertaining giant monster fight movie. During the summer, some big film series are dropping next installments like “Fast and Furious 9,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “The Suicide Squad.”
With all these extremely entertaining movies coming out, a trip to the theater seems more tempting than it has been as of late, because theaters weren’t really showing that many intriguing movies throughout the pandemic. Maybe I’ll tell some of my friends in New York City to catch a flick.
Like me, if you are a bit cautious to be in an enclosed space with a mask for a while, take a look at AMC’s safety and health COVID-19 policies. They have many of the classic COVID-19 bylaws that you’d expect like social distancing, mask policies in relation to food and drink, reduced capacities, and many, many hand sanitizing stations available.
Despite the constant, slight risk of COVID-19, I think I might go see a few choice movies. “Godzilla vs. Kong” is a definite yes, despite it being available to see on HBO Max. It’s just one of those movies that you have to maximize its screen potential for. You have to have the big screen and surround sound, maybe even IMAX and/or 3D for two timeless, epic monsters brawling it out. “Fast and Furious 9” is also a must-see in theaters. I’ve got to see them go to the moon with cars.
Movie theaters reopening in New York City feels symbolic of our slow return to normalcy. With COVID-19, the restrictions on your daily life take a toll; just knowing that we now have the option to catch a movie in the theater is exciting. Hopefully, theaters don’t get outdone by streaming services in the near future. Going to see a movie has always been a fun event, and if you feel comfortable doing so, it’ll feel even better because many of us haven’t done so in so long.
Logan Sriharatsa can be reached at srih1201@stthomas.edu.