Beginning Friday, one first-run local movie theater is back: Franklin Park 16. It remains to be seen when Hollywood will be as well.
Franklin Park 16, 5001 Monroe St. inside Franklin Park mall, is the first of the three local Cinemark theaters to reopen to the public following the shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cinemark’s Fallen Timbers 14, 2300 Village Drive in Maumee and Levis Commons 12, 2005 Hollenbeck Drive in Perrysburg, will reopen Aug. 21 and Aug. 25, respectively.
The Dallas-area-based movie theater chain’s move to reopen Franklin Park follows a series of test openings weeks ago in other markets followed by a slow rollout nationwide that included Cleveland.
Even as the coronavirus numbers surge throughout the country, Cinemark said in a news release that “the health and well-being of our guests, employees, and communities is a top priority,” and that its theaters are employing “greatly enhanced cleanliness, sanitizing, and safety measures” to ensure the safety of movie-goers and theater staff.
Among the stepped-up cleaning protocols:
• Sanitizing measures to the concession area (kitchens, stands, drink stations, check-out areas, etc.), restrooms, and other “high-touch areas” (door handles, box-office countertops) every half-hour. Theater seats will also be sanitized prior to each screening.
• Disinfecting movie auditoriums with pressurized sprayer equipment every morning.
• Readily available hand sanitizer and seat wipes.
• Social distancing in the theater’s auditorium will be automatic with the use of empty seats and rows of seats.
• Facemasks are also required, except when eating and drinking.
Otherwise, the movie theater experience is mostly the same: tickets can be purchased in advance online, and concessions will still be available.
As for the film product, Franklin Park 16, like all first-run cinemas, is relying on studio library films, typically decades-old blockbusters — what Cinemark calls “Comeback Classics” — until Hollywood decides to release its slate of films from the spring and summer that were temporarily shelved because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Friday’s Comeback Classics are:
1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1984’s Ghostbusters, 1985’s Back to the Future and The Goonies, 1993’s Jurassic Park, 2014’s The LEGO Movie, 2017’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, and 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level.
Tickets are $5, and prices of the concession stand drinks and limited eats are also reduced: $5 for a large popcorn, $3.50 for a large drink or ICEE, and $2.50 for candy. Hot dogs will be served, but prices were not available.
And for $99, movie auditoriums can be booked in advance for a “Private Watch Party” for up to 20 guests to watch one of 15 Comeback Classics, including 1978’s Grease, 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1999’s The Matrix, 2004’s Mean Girls, 2017’s The Greatest Showman, and 2018’s Black Panther.
As for when Franklin Park 16 and other movie theaters will start showing the latest-greatest films from Hollywood, that is, for now, at least three weeks away. But even that date is subject to change.
Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wildly hyped and anticipated blockbuster, is at this point scheduled to lead the charge of new studio releases, when it opens Sept. 3. Warner Bros. originally scheduled Tenet to open July 17, then July 31, then Aug. 12, and at one point had no release date scheduled. Tenet is also scheduled to open internationally on Aug. 26.
Paramount’s A Quiet Place 2 was originally scheduled to open into theaters on March 20, was pushed back until Sept. 6, and has now been shelved until April 23, 2021.
And in an ominous sign for movie theater owners:
Top Gun: Maverick, which sees Tom Cruise return to the role of the rebellious pilot from the 1986 blockbuster, is now slated to open on July 2, 2021, having been pushed back six months from its Dec. 23 original release date.
And Disney recently announced that it was mostly giving up on releasing its live-action Mulan into theaters. After months of delays, the $200-million budgeted film will debut Sept. 4 on the Disney+ streaming platform with a rental fee of $29.99 in addition to the monthly subscription rate of $6.99.
First Published August 14, 2020, 11:24 a.m.
