San Francisco Movie Theaters Will Remain Shuttered Despite City Government’s Greenlight

San Francisco Movie Theaters Remain Shuttered

The National Association of Theater Owners of California/Nevada (NATO) has unanimously agreed keep movie theaters closed in San Francisco, despite receiving the green light from city officials to reopen.

On Wednesday, NATO released a statement claiming the city’s ban on serving concessions makes it “economically impossible” for their theaters to reopen and “significantly limits” the experience for audiences.

“NATO of CA/NV respectfully asks that San Francisco city officials follow the state’s and other counties’ guidelines in their approach to reopening theaters, while also remaining consistent with how they’re allowing other businesses to reopen,” the group added.

On September 29th, officials representing the city of San Francisco announced that the city would allow movie attendance in the wake of California lowering its quarantine tier from red to orange, as infection and case rates drop. This means that movie theaters will be eligible to reopen on October 7th at 50% capacity or up to 200 people.

The trade group pointed out that San Francisco has announced that it is allowing indoor dining to resume, signifying the city’s approval for food and beverages to be consumed indoors, yet it is restricting concession sales in movie theaters.

“While we respect and thank Mayor Breed for her decision to allow movie theaters to reopen, the restrictions in place present an insurmountable financial challenge for our members to do so and are preventing thousands of workers from returning to work,” said Milton Moritz, president and CEO of NATO of CA/NV. “Our members have taken the steps to meet or exceed expert-backed health and safety measures, and we ask that the city reconsider its reopening plan so our theaters can, once again, serve our San Francisco community.”

California began allowing indoor movie theaters to reopen in San Diego, El Dorado and Tuolumne counties in early September, then allowed reopened sites in Orange County on September 8th. Riverside, Solano, San Luis Obispo, Sacramento, Fresno, Contra Costa, Yolo and San Joaquin counties have been allowed to reopen as well. Los Angeles County is stil in the top purple tier due to its having more than seven new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 with a positive test rate above 8%.

Currently about three quarters of U.S. movie theater markets are open. But the key Los Angeles and New York markets remain closed along with those in North Carolina, Michigan, New Mexico, Seattle-Tacoma and Portland with the notable exception of drive-ins. Attendance has been minimal with customers  hesitant to go to the movies amid the pandemic.

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