Major movie theater chains may be on track to reopen on Friday after Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave permission, but one independent theater on the North Shore won’t be among those welcoming back moviegoers.
Cuomo announced last week that movie theaters outside of New York City could reopen at 25 percent capacity starting Friday. No more than 50 people will be allowed in front of each screen in each movie theater, and theaters can only open outside of New York City in counties that have COVID-19 positivity rates of less than 2 percent on a 14-day average and do not have any cluster zones, meaning that Nassau County’s movie houses may open again.
Theaters will also be required to meet enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards; masks will be required at all times except when seated while eating or drinking; assigned seating will be required; and additional staffing will be required to ensure compliance.
The Regal theater chain, which has eight theaters on Long Island including one in Westbury, has announced plans to reopen that day, as will AMC Theaters, which has eight, including one each in Glen Cove and Garden City.
But it’s a different story for one independent theater in the area.
Jordan Desner of Plainview, who owns and operates the Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington, said that Cuomo “would have done the same thing by keeping us closed” since no major movies were in release.
“[Cuomo] is opening us when there’s no good movies,” Desner said in a phone interview. “There’s no good product right now.”
Desner cited director Christoper Nolan’s film “Tenet,” which opened Sept. 3, as a “test” for the movie theaters that were open.
“‘Tenet’ did terrible business, and after that, all of the studios said no way, we’re not going to release anything for a while,” Desner said.
Whether the Manhasset Cinemas or the Roslyn Cinemas will reopen is not known, and efforts to contact Gilman Management Corp., which owns and operates both theaters, were unavailing.
One local independent theater in the area has already been claimed by the effects of the pandemic, with Great Neck’s Squire Cinemas announcing its closing in mid-September following 85 years of operation.
The Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck, which sometimes shows films in addition to its performing arts programs, said in a statement to Blank Slate Media that it had no plans to continue film showings soon.
Desner added that while he would not be opening this weekend, Soundview may return in the winter “when there is good product.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to open until Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving,” Desner said. “But opening now will cost me more than to stay closed.”
