How to Help Save Your Local Movie Theater | Collider Connected
85Take Action Now - https://saveyourcinema.com
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging in the United States, we have seen countless small businesses have to shut their doors permanently. It’s happening in every town, city, and state, and it’s going to have long lasting implications for countless families all around the country.
One of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic has been movie theaters.
No matter what movie theater you visit, they’ve all been battling conditions that are impossible to overcome. Not only are they not getting new movies even with low-capacity mandates designed to keep people as safe as possible, a lot of people are staying home until society is back to normal. While I completely understand anyone wanting to avoid activities outside their home, without patrons movie theaters are not making enough money to keep their doors open and staff employed.
That also impacts the surrounding businesses as movie theaters provide a lot of foot traffic. How many times have you seen a movie with friends and then walked to a local restaurant for food? Or perhaps you like to meet people before a movie for coffee or to shop at the stores outside before sitting down? Movie theaters bring a significant amount of revenue to the surrounding businesses, which explains why so many stores open up around local theaters.
While some of us think of movie theaters as being part of mega-corporations with unlimited funds, countless theaters are independently run with just one location. They exist because the person that owns the theater loves movies. And the big chains don’t often put movie theaters in small towns. Those are all independently owned, and if they close their doors, they are not going to reopen.
Another fact about cinemas is that they employ over 153,000 individuals nationwide. When a theater is forced to shut their doors, not only do the theater employees lose their jobs, people in the surrounding retail area and the cinema supply chain get hit.
So you’re probably asking, “What can be done to help save movie theaters?”
The best thing we can do is get our government to take action. To make that happen, we’ve partnered up with the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) on the #SaveYourCinema campaign. John Fithian, NATO President & CEO, explains what is needed:
“American movie theaters need help now. Soon, a vaccine will allow our industry to return to normal, but without bipartisan action now in the lame duck session of Congress, hundreds of movie theaters will not make it. Local communities across the nation are and will be permanently damaged. This Congress and Administration still have a job to do.”
I could not agree more.
There is nothing like seeing a movie in a theater, and I think we can all agree we want the theater business to be there once the vaccine arrives and everyone feels safe to return.
If you’d like to take action, the best thing you can do is write a letter to Congress. You can do it on the #SaveYourCinema website and it will take less than one minute — the letter itself is filled out; all you have to enter is your own information. I know everyone is busy, but if you want movie theaters to survive, please click the link and send a letter.
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