LEXINGTON, Ky. _ When the Kentucky Theatre reopened to the general public after a four-and-a-half-year closure due to fire damage, it did so with a matinee screening of "Cinema Paradiso." The 1988 Italian film, according to longtime manager Fred Mills, is "a heart-warming story about a young boy and his lifelong love affair with movies."
That film _ and its themes surrounding the personal and cultural importance of film-going and the theater experience _ was an ideal vessel to say "We're back!" in 1992, and perhaps is an even more fitting choice 28 years later as the downtown Lexington staple welcomes patrons back beginning Monday, when movie theaters across the state are allowed to open their doors once more.
"We've been down now since March 17 and, so, we thought it would be kind of neat to play that film again," Mills said in a phone interview.
Like the rest of the nation's movie houses that reopen next week, the Kentucky will be void of first-run offerings. As theaters began to close, major film studios _ Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., etc. _ shuffled their spring and summer slates, in some cases pushing movies scheduled for release this spring all the way to next year (that was the case for "F9," the latest entry in the "Fast and Furious" franchise; it was moved from May 22 of this year to April 2, 2021). Some big flicks are planned for release in July _ including Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" and Disney's live-action adaptation of "Mulan" _ but whether those actually happen will depend on the trajectory of COVID-19 cases and the willingness of people to go back to movie theaters, and the willingess of theaters to actually open. The country's three major theater chains (AMC, Regal and Cinemark) have yet to announce concrete restart plans, although AMC and Cinemark have said they're targeting a "midsummer" reopening.
There will be plenty to see in the smaller venues for the time being. The Kentucky Theatre is offering an expanded roster of movies and showtimes for its "Summer Classics," kicking things off with 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" when it reopens. It will also in that first week show "Jurassic Park" and "Purple Rain," the latter on what would have been Prince's 62nd birthday (June 7). Other retro fare planned for the coming weeks: "North by Northwest," "Coal Miner's Daughter," and "Grease."
The Kentucky's larger theater ("The Kentucky" proper) will allow for a maximum of about 380 moviegoers at one-third capacity, which has been recommended in the early going. The smaller of its two rooms, the State Theatre, should accommodate about 115 people.
Various sanitation and social distancing measures that have become commonplace elsewhere during the pandemic _ face masks for employees, hand-sanitizer stations, marked seating _ will be used to keep movie theaters compliant with health guidelines and maintain peace of mind for visitors. Mills anticipates that concession sales, in particular, could take longer than usual, and encourages people to arrive 30-40 minutes early to ensure that they don't miss the start of their screening.
"I think it's good to go ahead and open slowly and hope for the best," Mills said. "I think if people are careful, follow guidelines, are respectful of each other, patient and everything, I think things will be fine."
DRIVE-INS
Some drive-in theaters across the country have had the green light to operate since early May. The Sauerbeck Family Drive-In, located in La Grange, was among those offering a getaway destination before restaurants and other venues were allowed to reopen.
That theater, about 25 miles northeast of Louisville, opened in August 2018. Owner Steven Sauerbeck started his movie career as a popcorn-slinger at Great Escape Theatres, which was headquartered in nearby New Albany, Ind., and eventually held a corporate gig before that chain was acquired by Regal in 2012. Regal closed the Great Escape venue in La Grange, opening the market for a more distinct offering, and one that _ in a pandemic _ could make one's decision to go out easier.
"Some people are uncomfortable leaving their house period and that's completely understandable," Sauerbeck said. "Some people are ready to get back to normal and that's understandable. And then there are a whole lot of people in between. That's kind of the beauty of the drive-in, is that you can really customize your interaction as much or as little as you want."
Sauerbeck's 30-acre site can accommodate up to 450 cars under normal conditions but is allowing a maximum of no more than 325 in the current climate. That limitation hasn't hurt business _ through mid-May, the drive-in had already sold as many tickets as it did in the entirety of May 2019.
Other Kentucky drive-ins, like the 27 Twin in Somerset, decided not to reopen until after indoor movie venues were given the go-ahead.
"With the uncertainty of everything at the moment, it's better to let things settle a little bit than to open and be on the news in a negative way," said Scott Roaden, who owns the 27 Twin as well as the Theatres of Georgetown, a five-screen venue about 20 miles from Lexington. Both will reopen next weekend.
During the shutdown, Roaden said TOG was able to do "brisk business" by offering curbside sales of popcorn and other concession items. His group has been making accommodations to comply with possible reopening guidelines since venues were shuttered in mid-March. In Georgetown, groups of up to 10 people will be allowed to sit in a row together, and rows will be blocked off in a way to keep patrons from having any people in the row behind or in front of them. A maximum of 60 people will be allowed in a 200-seat theater, allowing for there to be at least two empty seats on each side of an individual if they so desire.
The conditions aren't ideal, but they're better than not being able to screen movies at all, Roaden says.
"We're pretty ecstatic about anything that gets us back to showing movies," he said. " ... We weren't under the idea that this would last forever. It could, and it will on some level, but we're pretty optimistic people or we wouldn't be in this business."
Several theaters are offering reduced admission. Movie Palace in Elizabethtown _ whose June 1 reopening slate includes "Despicable Me," E.T.," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Purge" and "Smokey and the Bandit" _ went a step further and is offering free admission (first come, first serve at its box office).
It's not all classic fare. Movies that were screening or close to screening prior to the pandemic appear to also be popular choices for venues that have shared reopening information and begun selling tickets.
