California movie theaters are ready to open, but will fans show up?

The CEO of a major movie theater chain hopes that California movie theaters will be able to open in a matter of weeks, just in time for summer tentpoles to reinvigorate the industry nationwide after being hit hard by the pandemic. The big question is whether or not fans will show up.

Cinemark’s CEO Mark Zoradi believes that the lineup of big movies set to be released later this spring and summer will help get the ailing box office back on track. From Disney’s Cruella to Top Gun: Maverick, there are plenty of big movies that will be big draws for movie fans.

But will fans be ready to return to theaters? Movie theater executives believe so. “We’re optimistic that we’re going to be able to light up these theaters again come this summer,” Zoradi said.

Movie theaters are set to open in the coming weeks, ready for a big rebound

Over the past few months, some theaters have been getting creative by offering private screenings of classic movies for families and small groups of people who are in a pandemic bubble. For less than $100 an entire theater can be yours for the duration of the movie. Zoradi indicated that these private viewing experiences accounted for roughly 24% of fourth quarter revenue and is a sign that people want to come back to the theaters.

While there’s no question that people are eager for life to get back to some semblance of normalcy, being in a theater with a large number of strangers is still a scary proposition.

It’s one thing to be in a theater with your own friends and family. But even at 25% capacity, sitting in a room of people is a whole other ballgame. Would fans be allowed to eat and drink in theaters, which would require them to remove their masks? Will fans remove their masks when the lights go out?

We’re all ready to get back to the new normal, and there’s every reason to hope we’ll be back in theaters at some point in 2021. However, aiming to get back in the next few weeks might be a bit too ambitious.