Spike Lee Doesn’t Think Cinemas Are Ready To Reopen: “Hell To Da Naw”

A lot of discussion and debate has surrounded the Georgia Governor’s decision to reopen certain non-essential businesses (including movie theaters) next week, albeit with “strict social distancing” regulations. While idiotic protests are happening all across the US, with people asking for haircuts and whatnot, many people think that it’s entirely too soon to think about cinemas, and other businesses, reopening their doors. One of those folks is Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee.

In an email sent to Vanity Fair, the “BlacKkKlansman” director pulled no punches with his thoughts on the idea that some theaters might begin to reopen in certain states in the next week.

“Open Movie Theatres Now? Hell To Da Naw. I Got Alot More Movies To Make, Not Rollin’ Da Dice Wit’ Da Only Life I Got. TESTING. TESTING And Mo’ TESTING,” Lee wrote.

This isn’t the first time that Lee has spoken out about the current pandemic. When Cannes originally postponed the film festival due to the regulations against public events in France, Lee (who was announced as the Cannes Jury President for 2020) applauded the news, citing that we are “in a war-like time.” So, clearly the filmmaker isn’t going to be the first in line to buy a movie ticket in a Georgian cinema.

That being said, it doesn’t appear that many theaters will actually reopen when they’re given the go-ahead in Georgia and other states. Sure, independent theaters will do what they want, but the massive multiplex chains, such as AMC, Cinemark, and Regal, are all expected to stick with their original timelines of June or July before they attempt to open their doors once again.

So, it’ll be interesting to see which cinemas take the Georgia Governor on his word and allow for visitors in the days to come. With regulations expected to include that no more than 10 people can be in a closed space at one time, it’s not like those screens will have a ton of visitors, anyway.