The big question that seems to be permeating the discussion about when/how movie theaters will reopen in the US and around the world is about what new restrictions and guidelines cinemas will require to help ensure the health and safety of customers. We’ve already seen some theaters in the US require temperature checks, “airport-style” check-in, as well as facemasks. But what about the big chains? What’s going to happen there? Well, if a new survey from the Alamo Drafthouse cinemas is any indication, there are some pretty crazy ideas being floated around.
Recently, customers were sent a survey from Alamo Drafthouse that asked questions about some guidelines that the theater could institute that would help create a safer, healthier environment for film fans. Some of the measures surveyed include obvious ones like employees all wearing masks and gloves at all times in the theater, kitchen, and surrounding areas. There are also common-sense solutions like making sure that seats surrounding purchased seats are left empty to help enforce social distancing, using disposable factory-sealed utensils, providing hand sanitizer, and more.
But not all of the solutions that Alamo proposes in the survey are as obvious as those. You see, some people on Twitter noticed that the theater chain is also asking about some restrictions and guidelines that might cause some issues.
The one that seems the most, uh, difficult to enforce is one where Alamo proposes “enforcing a no coughing or sneezing policy in the theater.” As great as that might sound, in theory, as coughing and/or sneezing is a huge way for COVID-19 to spread, it’s unclear how the theater chain would enforce such a policy or how the company could tell its customers to not cough and/or sneeze during the film, as if we all have control over those bodily functions.
Other people mentioned how the survey asked about two-ticket minimums, even if you plan on attending alone, as well as fixed menus, temperature taking, and surcharges. Unfortunately, we’re not able to confirm the content of the survey because Alamo has seemingly pulled the survey, probably due to the negative attention brought to it.
Obviously, the survey is not an outline of all the new measures that Alamo Drafthouse will definitely institute when the chain reopens its locations nationwide. However, it is clear that the cinema chain is thinking about all the ideas about how to make the theater-going experience safe and secure for patrons, while also profitable for the owners. And that’s where some of the more, uh, interesting ideas seem to stem from.
We’ll have to wait until the company releases its guidelines when we get closer to reopening to see if the survey helped at all. But either way, the post-COVID-19 film world is going to be a really different experience.
