See you at the movies

All cinemas will reopen by Dec. 1; some in low-risk areas may be able to reopen by Nov. 24.

When theater reopening was approved in Metro Manila earlier this year, the target date was reset from Feb. 15 to March 1, before being rescinded on March 6 amid a COVID surge driven by the Alpha and Beta variants.

Certain cinema operators themselves said at the time that they did not intend to reopen anyway. One reason was the COVID safety requirement for the installation of special air filtration and ventilation systems, somewhat similar to those on airplanes.

While the system makes sense in promoting public health in the time of highly contagious killer viruses, it takes time and considerable investment to install in a moviehouse.

Another problem for cinema operators was the seating capacity limit. It also made sense in the time of COVID. As in restaurants, however, the limited seating might not make cinema operations viable.

Then there was the problem of content in the time of COVID lockdowns, although this has been eased with the resumption of film production especially overseas.

Former Cagayan de Oro congressman Benjo Benaldo, executive director of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, assured us on One News’ “The Chiefs” last Wednesday that there are now enough new materials that can be shown come Dec. 1, the date set by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) for theater reopening.

Benaldo could not tell us which movies are in the pipeline. But in the United States, there have been several new releases that have performed well at the box office since the cinemas were allowed to reopen recently. Among the films, which would be great to watch on the big screen, are the latest James Bond movie (the last starring Daniel Craig) “No time to Die” and Marvel’s “Venom: Let There be Carnage.”

These new releases are not on Netflix, HBO Max and other streaming platforms, so that’s an incentive for people to watch the movies in cinemas.

*      *      *

The streaming services, particularly Netflix, have become a big headache for cinema operators. Netflix is one of the few enterprises that flourished enormously in the pandemic.

I myself, never a big TV fan, got hooked, binge-watching to drown my COVID sorrows. In isolation during my nightmare moments, I found solace in Netflix features on dogs.

For only P549 a month, you can have Netflix premium on four TV screens at the same time and download on four phones or tablets. There are subtitles, and of course you can watch anything at your convenience.

In comparison, cinema entrance fees range from P200 to P700 per head. While you don’t need to dress up for the theater, you also don’t want to be in pandemic quarantine home getup. And in a cinema, if you go for a toilet break, you miss a portion of the film; there’s no pause or rewind.

Some film production outfits, overwhelmed by the competition, decided that if you can’t beat ’em, you can join ’em: they sold their work to the streaming platforms.

Netflix and the other platforms in fact helped keep film production companies afloat amid the cinema shutdowns during the pandemic. The profits for the producers are lower than in regular theater runs, but at least there’s some revenue earned.

*      *      *

How will Filipinos react to the cinema reopening? The crowds at outdoor shopping centers are looking a bit like the pre-pandemic holiday crowd. But people still seem to be wary of indoor areas.

Even with the high vaccination rate in Metro Manila, foot traffic in indoor commercial hubs remains slow. During the payday holiday weekend I bought some stuff on sale at a major clothing chain in a mall. There was just one person manning the shop – down from the pre-pandemic three or four. Since they reopened after the Delta lockdowns, he told me sales had picked up during weekends, but remained dismal, near zero, on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Maybe with the start of vaccination of minors and the easing of mobility restrictions on teens, foot traffic will go up in commercial centers.

There is that lingering concern in many households, however, that kids, vaccinated or not, may catch the coronavirus outdoors and track it into the house. People have been sufficiently warned that even if the kids don’t get sick, they could put at risk adults, even if fully vaccinated, especially the elderly and those with comorbidities.

The government may have to roll out boosters sooner than projected if it wants to fully restore consumer confidence, if it wants families to dine in again in restaurants, and to travel in time for the 2022 summer / Holy Week peak season.

People who are worried about visiting indoor commercial centers are unlikely to risk sitting inside a moviehouse – insulated, air-conditioned, and sealed for good acoustics – with complete strangers, even if distancing is strictly enforced.

*      *      *

The average length of a regular movie is two hours. Epidemiologists have warned that the virulent Delta variant can be transmitted within 15 seconds of sustained exposure. Are people prepared to take the risk, and even pay good money for it?

In the Netherlands, masking mandates and mobility restrictions have been restored amid a recent spike in cases. China, origin of SARS-CoV-2, has been shutting down cities again amid outbreaks, in line with its COVID-zero policy.

The CEAP is launching its “Sa Sine Safe Ka” campaign to lure back moviegoers and restore the 336,000 cinema jobs the group estimates to have been lost in the past 19 months.

For a safe cinema experience, only persons with vaccination cards will be admitted. Body temperature will be taken; masks are required and eating is banned. Seating is socially distanced; ticket purchases are contact-less; hand sanitizers are available at the entrance.

The operators say cinema employees will be required to wash their hands every 30 minutes. Indoor ventilation has been improved and “deep cleaning” will be implemented between screenings.

In the time of Netflix and HBO Max, people who watch films on the big screen do so for the experience.

So this December, see you at the movies?