The truth is, there are a lot of film fans that are still very apprehensive about going to indoor movie theaters and watching a film on the big screen in the US. This is evidenced by the fact that box office numbers have been incredibly low, even by pandemic standards, which has forced many films to be delayed out of the current fall film slate into 2021 and even skipping theaters and going to VOD or streaming. But if there’s one bright spot that is seen at the Cinemark theater chain, it’s the private watch parties.
According to Deadline, Cinemark is seeing a large number of people opt-in for the chain’s theater rental program, primarily to watch Christopher Nolan’s new action film, “Tenet.” The report claims that Cinemark has hosted more than 22,000 private watch parties since offering the option in Dallas, Texas and expanding to markets such as Dayton, Ohio and in Oxnard, Ventura, and Huntington Beach, California.
For those not aware, at Cinemark (and other theater chains such as AMC), you can purchase an entire theater for as little as $99 to host your own viewing party that isn’t open to the public. With that option, you can basically rent out the venue just for you (or whatever friends you want to include), with the idea being that this decreases the risk of COVID even further by not allowing people you don’t know in the same screening. The business has been used most by people wanting to see “Tenet,” which just crossed $50 million domestic over the weekend, but is also available for catalog titles offered by the chains.
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“Clearly, there is a significant portion of the population that still wants to stay in their controlled group, but they want to get to the movies, so this is allowing them to scratch that itch,” said Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi. “It’s also said to us a lot of people want to come back to the movies, they just want to get over the hump of COVID.”
Obviously, renting out theaters for $99 isn’t going to save the theater industry, which appears to be in serious crisis right now. However, it is providing a chance for additional revenue by attracting those people that might not want to attend a public screening and have an extra bit of cash to spend to see a film that they’re dying to watch. That said, there’s still the problem of which films are being offered, as the major studios have vacated the months of October and November for the most part. But hey, if you’re interested, you can rent out a venue for a decent price and enjoy “Tenet,” “Hocus Pocus,” or a number of other films without the fear of some random guy coughing behind you.
