Reopened WNY Movie Theatres See Business Boom
Memorial Day Weekend, brought people longing for popcorn and the big screen back to movie theaters across Western New York and they are looking forward to the summer.
“It’s obvious by the attendance that we had this past weekend a lot of people are eager to return and get back out to doing social events and just getting back to what we call normal,” said Tracy Janis, who’s the district manager for Dipson Theatres.
Theaters across Western New York, including Flix Theatre on Transit road and the Aurora Theatre, saw booming crowds on Memorial Day weekend, many catching a Quiet Place Part 2, which was filmed right here in Western New York.
“It was actually better than we expected. We were still concerned that people were going to be worried about coming back to the movies and actually we had so many phone calls from people asking us, what are the guidelines, what can we do, what can’t we do,” owner Lynn Kinsella said. “So you know they hadn’t been to the movies since covid so they were definitely coming back to see this movie.”
Movie theaters dealt with two issues this past year, people hesitant to go to the movies during the pandemic and the fact that there weren’t any major movie releases. She says both problems appear to be solved.
“There really wasn’t much to see on the big screen. So I think now they’ve seen there are new movies that they’re excited to see on the big screen, not streaming,” Kinsella said.
Both the Aurora Theatre and Dipson Theatres are trusting moviegoers that if they’re not wearing a mask, it’s because they’re vaccinated.
There were many people still wearing masks, there were many people who said they were vaccinated, theatre owners said. It appeared everyone was respectful and conscious of what the situation is and concerned for their safety and that of other patrons.
Some people presented vaccination cards or the New York State Excelsior pass on their phone, although neither is required at this time patrons were still aware of social distancing guidelines.