By Lucas Menendez
Many businesses have suffered tremendously due to the pandemic. Stores all around the world have had to close down, and some businesses have had to just end completely. One industry that has been severely affected, is the movie theater business. Before, movie theaters were a place for kids and teens to meet up and hang out. Now, because of all the restrictions, the movie theater seems like the last place you’d want to hang out!
My local movie theater is Bow Tie Cinemas, in Reston Town Center. This location is still closed, though not all Bow Tie locations are. On their website they have many new restrictions. For example, there is only 50% of the original seating available for guests. Also, reserved seating is purchasable only online through their website. One of the biggest changes has to be reserving the theaters! This is such a great idea, and the price isn’t too high. For about $100 you get the whole theater for you and your friends, and by the time you distribute the cost, it’ll come down to a smaller total for each person!
Not all theaters are closed, though! AMC Worldgate 9 is open three days a week: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The auditoriums are 40% full, allowing room to social distance. You can even order snacks ahead of time to still enjoy during the movie.
Though not too many theaters have closed in our area, many other locations have been forced to. In August, AMC reported to have lost 561 million dollars due to the pandemic. Many theaters have been struggling to keep their business running. Also, streaming services have become the main resource for watching movies. Disney Plus, Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are just a few of them. Another reason for the decline has been that lots of production companies have started releasing movies on their own platforms. The local AMC Worldgate 9 manager discussed the effect COVID-19 had at the Herndon location.
“There are definitely less people coming, some people are scared to come out. Also with the limited seating it makes it harder to fill the theaters up. While people are watching the movie, masks for the most part stay up, the only time they don’t is if they are eating or
drinking.”
So how is Herndon Worldgate theater measuring up to the others?
“I think the theater is already doing much better and compared to the start, we’ve even had to open more auditoriums for the private theater renting.”
He continued on to explain how well the private theaters have been doing, which is great to hear!
Though the movie theaters have struggled these past few months, they may be making a comeback, and you can help! Consider renting out a theater with a group of friends, or family! It’s a fun way to pass these hard times.