By Erin Free
With hope well and truly alive in the form of a flattening curve, Australia’s federal, state and local governments have very, very slowly started to ease COVID-19 inspired social restrictions. Beaches in Sydney – including the recent flashpoint location of Bondi, the inappropriate crowding of which prompted the initial coastline shut-downs – have re-opened to the public, though only for swimming and exercise. Those caught sunbathing or lingering too long by lifeguards, cops or council officers are quickly moved on, meaning that the beach-going experience is not exactly the relaxed, sunscreen-slathered free-for-all that it used to be. Also on the comeback trail is the National Rugby League, which has “locked in” a return-to-play date of May 28, much to the consternation of, well, pretty much everybody. While AFL hides away and rugby union falters on the verge of permanent collapse, rugby league has again proved itself to be Australia’s toughest, craziest, most consistently outlying winter sport of choice.
All of which begs the question: if we can hit the beach and men can sweat all over each other on the football field, why can’t we go to the movies again? With going to the movies a wonderful form of escape during tough times, it’s been a difficult period for cinemagoers, as it has, of course, been a horrible and difficult time for everyone across the globe. Cinemas, however, would be one of the easiest businesses to re-open on the easing of restrictions, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the cinema-going experience is an easily controlled one. With nearly all cinema chains offering preferred seating, they can literally tell you where to sit, which means that keeping people 1.5 metres apart is a simple process of spacial mathematics. When offering seats for purchasers online, cinema proprietors could limit the number of spots to an appropriately social distancing-effective number. While this would mean selling less tickets at traditionally busy times (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) and to expected big selling movies, surely that would be a sacrifice worth making in order to get cinemas open again? Many cinema chains around the world were actually doing this before social distancing was really ramped up, so it’s certainly a workable business model.
Secondly, the cinema-going experience is a largely static one. Once inside the cinema auditorium, audiences take their seats, and then pretty much stay there, aside from trips to the toilet and the candy bar. Unlike, say, pubs or bars, there’s generally no walking around inside the cinema auditorium, and audience members are easy to isolate. Thirdly, even in a cinema’s general areas – foyers, toilets, candy bars – social distancing measures could be easily taken, with signage separating those in lines for tickets, food, or the cinema auditorium itself. And fourthly, the ticketing process is now virtually all done online, meaning minimal contact between audiences and staff members. As many retail and food businesses are now doing, cinemas could also offer a “click and collect” model, where you order your overpriced popcorn, drinks and lollies online, and then grab them from a pre-determined pick-up point in the cinema complex. To use the modern parlance, it could be a wholly “contact free” experience.
There would, of course, be a few hurdles to jump, particularly in the area of staffing. With social distancing measures like these in place, they would need to be monitored and policed in order for them to work. Like the lifeguards, cops and council officers chasing loiterers off the beach, cinemas would require their staff to enforce social distancing rules, which could obviously be problematic. The other issue is one of content. With cinemas closed in the US (the source of most films in Australian cinemas) and production halted on films around the world, what would Australian cinemas play if they could re-open considerably earlier than those of the COVID-19 ravaged US? We certainly wouldn’t be seeing “on hold” international titles like Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984 and No Time To Die rushed into local movie houses prior to their US releases. A few other potential seat fillers (like Pixar’s Onward), meanwhile, have already been released digitally. That said, distributors and cinema chains could certainly arrange something in terms of content.
We need cinemas – and not just streaming services – in Australia. Going to the movies is a rich tradition in this country, and while FilmInk is not lobbying for cinemas to re-open tomorrow, our movie houses and multiplexes should definitely be one of the first things to crank up again when the government eases restrictions on Australia’s entertainment industries.
If you liked this story, check out our features on the response to Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” video; what celebrities should be doing in the face of COVID-19; movies to freak you out during self-isolation; and movies to make you feel better while in isolation.
