The cinemas are finally reopening: Will You Go?

Movie owners are getting ready. Some Hollywood executives are promoting movie releases that have been postponed. And for films scheduled to open in theaters in the coming weeks, customer interest in returning, in addition to box office results in New York City and San Francisco, will begin to test the wisdom of the studios’ unprecedented decisions last year – that is , premiere films simultaneously in cinemas and in digital streaming services.

Theaters elsewhere in the United States have been open for months, including in Florida, Texas and Ohio, but box office results have been bleak. The largest movie markets in the United States account for a large percentage of box office revenue when a film is released.

“Adrenaline is definitely pumping and definitely excited about the reopening,” said Scott Rosemann, who runs New York’s Angelika Film Center in the trendy SoHo area, as well as two other cinemas in the city. “With the fact that we should have all adults in the US vaccinated by the end of May, it gives me great hope that we will have a summer blockbuster season.”

President Biden said earlier this week that he expects the United States to have sufficient vaccine supplies for all American adults by the end of May.

Still, theater owners cannot fill auditoriums, and many of the major theater markets remain closed, including the Hollywood studios’ headquarters in Los Angeles.

Cineworld Group CNWGY 3.28%

PLC’s Regal Entertainment Group, while encouraged by the reopenings, said it would postpone resumption of operations in its more than 500 cinemas in the United States until its leadership is convinced that big-budget films are sure to follow. “As soon as Los Angeles follows suit, we will be confident that the studios will have new film release dates, which will allow us to reopen our cinemas,” said the company.

Both New York City and San Francisco are demanding that movie theaters limit their attendance to 25%, and theaters will require moviegoers to wear masks. And it remains to be seen whether a long-awaited pent-up demand for popcorn and screens will manifest itself, after more than 500,000 deaths in the United States by Covid-19 and the public’s persistent fear of gathering in closed spaces.

Hollywood’s largest studio, Disney,

DIS 1.04%

have some confidence. On Friday, the studio premieres “Raya and the Last Dragon” in more than 2,000 North American cinemas. It’s been a year since Disney premiered a new movie in national cinemas.

Disney is simultaneously making the film available to subscribers to its Disney + streaming service for an additional $ 30, meaning that some people are likely to watch the family animated film at home.

The last Disney film released exclusively for North American theaters was Pixar’s “Avante”. The film reached more than 4,000 cinemas on March 6, 2020, but burst at the box office amid the worsening pandemic and the closing of cinemas.

John Krasinski, director of Paramount Pictures’ long-awaited sequel, “A Quiet Place Part II”, announced on Twitter Thursday night that the release of his film was for the Memorial Day weekend in May, starting from his debut scheduled for September.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is also optimistic about May. This week, the studio announced that it would release “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” in May, instead of June. The studio opted to premiere the film before theaters because of recent signs of recovery and encouraging demand for family films, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Family films have performed better than others in the past few weeks. Universal Pictures’ animated sequence, “The Croods: A New Age,” grossed $ 52.4 million last weekend, according to Comscore, after a relatively strong 14-week theatrical season. Last weekend, another family title, Warner Bros. ‘”Tom & Jerry” took first place on the domestic market after generating $ 13.7 million in ticket revenue, Comscore said.

Like all of the studio’s 2021 releases, “Tom & Jerry” can also be seen on the streaming service HBO Max, which, like Warner Bros., is a unit managed by AT&T Inc.’s

WarnerMedia.

During the pandemic, Hollywood studios focused on their streaming services, delayed the launch of their most coveted projects, or sold films to competitors for online distribution. As a result, the country’s largest theater chains, which include Regal, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Cinemark Holdings Inc.,

CNK 1.93%

have seen their chances of generating revenue decrease. AMC has managed to defend itself from bankruptcy several times during the past year.

As selected cities and states eased restrictions amid fluctuations in the pandemic, the AMC and Cinemark reopened some cinemas with reduced capacity. They also implemented measures of social distance and intensified hygiene protocols.

Many cinema owners expect Hollywood studios to release high-profile films again after moviegoers demonstrate that they feel comfortable returning to cinemas and the rest of California, especially Los Angeles, also reopens.

Franchise films, like MGM Holdings Inc.’s latest James Bond episode, “No Time to Die” and Disney’s Marvel spinoff, “Black Widow,” typically drive most ticket sales. The two films, among many other big-budget titles, were repeatedly postponed during the pandemic. Currently, “Black Widow” is scheduled for early May in the US and Canada, while “No Time To Die” is scheduled for October 8.

In an effort to get life back to normal, Texas Governor Greg Abbott took a more aggressive approach than many other states and companies in lifting pandemic restrictions on companies in Texas and canceling the state’s mask mandate.

The move brings a number of complications for companies, including movie theaters. Tim League, founder and executive chairman of Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas Holdings LLC, joined a chorus of companies saying they would continue to follow public health recommendations and maintain Covid-19 protection protocols. The chain also announced this week that it would have to permanently close two locations in Texas as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

“If you relax the mask orders now, what about the people there, who work there every day? They are at risk, ”said League.

Although League says it classifies this week’s news as some of the best it has heard in months, its Alamo cinemas in New York and San Francisco will remain closed this weekend, because the dining experience the chain offers requires additional preparation before reopening.

“There are many signs of encouragement and I am confident that this year we will return to some level of normality,” he said. “But it all depends on how comfortable people are when they leave home.”