AMC Theatres is the largest cinema chain in the world. And as such, you’d expect the company to be the leader in how to move forward with the reopening of theaters in July, after being shut down for months due to COVID-19. Instead, it appears that AMC is willing to take a backseat and let others dictate the safety measures taking place when cinemas reopen, especially when it comes to facemasks.
According to the CEO of AMC, Adam Aron, the company is reopening a majority of its cinemas in the middle of July, and the theaters will implement a ton of changes to make sure that public health is a vital concern. There will be sanitizing measures, social distancing, and various other initiatives to ensure that COVID-19 isn’t spread at the cinema. But one of the most important safety measures, the use of facemasks, isn’t going to be required.
Why won’t AMC require customers to wear a facemask? Not because the company feels that facemasks don’t work (Aron said himself that he believes they work and that scientists agree). Instead, AMC has decided that the company will not force the use of facemasks because the cinema chain views it as a political matter and AMC wants to remain apolitical.
“We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy,” said Aron (via Variety). “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary. We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example.”
READ MORE: Regal Cinemas Announces Safety Guidelines For Reopening On July 10
In a separate interview with CNN, the CEO doubled-down on his reasoning for not requiring facemasks.
“It’s well known that there are some parts of the US population and some parts of the country that are resisting wearing masks even though the scientists are saying it’s a very good idea to do so,” Aron explained. “We didn’t want to step into that controversy. So what we’re doing is we’re encouraging people to wear a mask, but not necessarily requiring it.”
If you take the words at face value, then you have the CEO of the biggest cinema chain in the world knowingly sacrificing public safety due to politics (bowing to political pressure by remaining agnostic is still a political move, no matter what you say). However, a cynical person might see this excuse as deflection, as the real reason is probably all about money.
The use of facemasks in a venue that asks you to spend money to eat and drink is difficult for companies to buy into. Why would AMC want its customers to cover their mouths when they also want them to spend large amounts of money on popcorn, candy, and sodas? It’s safe to assume that this is also part of the facemasks decision. Not only that, by admitting that “some parts of the US population and some parts of the country” are anti-facemasks (and we all know which people and places he’s referring to), it’s irrefutable that AMC is choosing profits and ticket sales over public safety.
And if the company is willing to sacrifice public safety by not requiring one of the most scientifically proven methods of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, do you believe AMC is really committed to sanitization? What’s to stop the company from cutting other corners for the sake of profits? And without facemasks being required, does it matter how many other safety measures are taken?
Another interesting answer came after the CNN reporter asked about enforcing these new guidelines. Aron obtusely explained that basically AMC is going to enforce its new rules the same way that it enforces older rules, such as in the case of cellphone usage and disruption.
“There’s a limit to how much we can do, of course,” explained the CEO. “If someone is irresponsible and we catch them, we can ask them to leave the theater. We’ve done that often in pre-pandemic times and we’ll do that often in post-pandemic times.”
If you’ve watched a film at AMC in the past, then you realize that this is a non-answer, as the company does very little to enforce its own rules. Let’s be honest, when cellphones and other disruptions happen in the theater, it’s up to other guests to stop it from happening, as there isn’t an AMC employee there to check on things. So, if someone is not social distancing properly and if they’re not taking proper safety measures, will AMC be there to kick them out or fix the situation in another way? It sounds as if the company is just going to hope people follow the rules (facemasks or not) and worry about the bottom line instead of public health.
But hey, if you are okay with this, then AMC is willing to take your money. Enjoy the movies, folks!