'Let's hope this is it': Minnesota movie theater owners prepare to reopen, recover after pandemic closures | KSTP.com

The lighting in the projection room has been restored, the popcorn machine is already steaming, and the black screen is ready to be screened at the Emagine Willow Creek Theater in Plymouth.

"We are very excited," said Jake Mueller, director of operations at Emagine Theaters in Minnesota. "A lot of people want the theater to reopen."

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In 2020, movie theaters and other indoor entertainment venues (such as bowling alleys and museums) across the state will be allowed to officially open on Mondays with 25% capacity. 

Bars and restaurants will also be allowed

, But the set closing time is 10 pm, the upper limit of the gymnasium’s activity is 25%, but the maximum activity has been increased to 150.

On Sunday, January 10, 2021, a worker makes popcorn at the Emagine Willow Creek Theater in Plymouth. According to the latest executive order from Governor Tim Walz, movie theaters in Minnesota will be opened on Monday with 25% capacity.

"I feel the most about my employees because even though I feel I can't control them, they don't actually have control," said Jon Goldstein, managing partner of Northwoods Entertainment. Northwood Entertainment Company owns 9 Emagine theaters. "We are a profitable company and there is no profit in one day."

The business location in Plymouth will not be open until this weekend. 

"There is a lot of work to be done, and we must prepare these buildings and conduct thorough cleaning and disinfection," Mueller explained. 

But he added that there is another big factor: high movie rental fees, and the rent for six movies per theater is about $1,800. 

Mueller pointed out: "It may be quite expensive to make a movie without weekend sales from weekend to Thursday. It is risky, so it's best to release it on Friday." 

Employees will have to replenish concessions and perform deep cleaning in many places.

Mueller said he must also hire or hire about 10 employees to start work. 

Goldstein said: "Bring back people, they have a list, and track everyone's location and their employment." "I will not lie, we have lost a lot of people who need to be transferred to other jobs. Because there are others. Where people are needed, people also want to work." 

Of course, there are COVID-19 precautions: safe and estranged stickers on the floor, limited seating in the bar, no drinking fountains, and masks and hand sanitizers must be worn everywhere. 

Even the seats in the theater will be different. 

As before the pandemic, moviegoers will no longer sit next to each other. In fact, the theater has a preset seating schedule that allows groups to have at least two seats separated. 

"You can order tickets online. This will leave a 6-foot gap between each group of two seats." "Alternatively, you can come in and the software will still leave a gap between each group." 

All of these purposes are to reassure those who watch movies.

Nevertheless, for chain theaters and smaller individual operators, last year was still a difficult period. 

The pandemic forced theaters in Minnesota to close in mid-March, then reopen in June, and close again in early December. 

At the same time, nearly 500 employees of nine Imagination Theaters in Minnesota were disbanded. There are now 17. 

Goldstein declared: "It is certain that we prefer to be open rather than closed. That's for sure. I would rather watch the movement safely with one or two people in the cinema than there is no one in the cinema. What to watch."

For a while, company managers tried to think outside the box. Innovate to maintain capital inflows. 

But Goldstein said he knew some ideas were inappropriate. 

He recalled: "We sold discounts, popcorn bags, gift cards and candies." "Look, this is not what we do. We are not a 7-11 convenience store, nor a convenience store around the corner. Our experience It’s an outdoor experience, you can come here to spend a few hours with us instead of spending a few minutes with us."   

Movie chains like Emagine are also facing competition from streaming services. Netflix is ​​the largest company with approximately 195 million subscribers.  

Mueller said he tried to maintain a positive attitude, but added that the next few months will not be easy.  

"I don't believe how we will be busy. To be honest, we suffered less losses than we were shut down throughout the summer, nothing more. We didn't make any money."

However, Goldstein said he is grateful for the help of local and state governments.

He said: "The government is here to tell you,'You need to close your business, and you have no right to operate.' They stepped up to help us, which at least made us feel better." 

As of last week, movie theaters in Minnesota can apply for up to $150,000 in COVID-19 relief, which is the state

. 

Managers at Willow Creek said their phone had rang and people called to ask if the theater would reopen on Monday. 

Mueller said he hopes his theater will start to be profitable in April. 

He smiled and said: "We want things to return to normal, we want people to return to the theater and have a good time." "This is actually to escape your life, sometimes even the most recent miserable life, that is our goal. "

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