[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I don’t know about that. The Front Street theaters are very popular. They attract a lot of people in from the suburbs. The only competition on that side of Hartford is Cinemark Buckland Hills in Manchester. If you want to do a nice dinner and a movie, Front Street has better dining options than the chains and fast food you find in the mall area.

The New Park Avenue theaters are literally on the West Hartford town line. It housed the region’s only independent or alternative movie theaters which were very popular. There’s not a lot of competition on that side of Hartford. Just a couple theaters at Blue Back Square that you have to pay to park at. Beyond that you have movie theaters in Simsbury and Plainville. They are kind of far. I’d guess it could attract customers from Hartford, West Hartford, Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and New Britain. That’s a lot of people. Jay

The risk is the industry in a post covid world.

I do wonder how many people will go to a movie period, the rest of 2020, anywhere in the pandemic region we are part of.

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

The risk is the industry in a post covid world.

I do wonder how many people will go to a movie period, the rest of 2020, anywhere in the pandemic region we are part of.

I will go. I will wear a mask and social distance myself from others. It's no different than any other place people will be going such as the grocery store, department stores, restaurants, etc. The theaters will follow social distancing guidelines like other businesses. In many cases, even preCovid, there were plenty of open seats in the theaters.

I have been one of the few customers to regularly go to a local deli in Hartford. It is sad because PreCovid the lines were out the door. They owners are following guidelines. Granted, there are far fewer people in Hartford due to many working from home. However, I don't know how long they can make it with maybe 20 customers a day. If people don't start supporting these businesses there will be nothing left to return to. I wonder if people think the people standing behind the deli counter assembling a sandwich with deli meats are somehow different than the ones standing behind the deli counter at the grocery store cutting the meat and filling containers. It is no different. The risk is the same. It is impossible to eliminate.

My biggest concern is what I see emerging with the attempt to assign legal liability (uncovered by insurance) to businesses, organizations, and employers that supposedly didn't provide proper protections in their protocols to keep employees, patrons, clients, etc., from contracting the virus. I think a federal hold harmless protection law will need to be implemented to prevent potentially devastating lawsuits otherwise the economy will get crushed. In my opinion, this concern is the reason, if not immediately resolved, it unlikely that schools and many state agencies will be back in operation in the fall.

[Reilly1017]

Grocery store shopping for 30 minutes and sitting in the same place for 2 hours watching a movie in a theatre is not the same thing.

If there is social distancing and you like wearing a mask through a whole movie, go for it, but it’s different than a stroll through a store where you are not near the same stranger for a majority of it

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by Reilly1017

Grocery store shopping for 30 minutes and sitting in the same place for 2 hours watching a movie in a theatre is not the same thing.

If there is social distancing and you like wearing a mask through a whole movie, go for it, but it’s different than a stroll through a store where you are not near the same stranger for a majority of it

You beat me to it. From everything they've learned, time is a factor in transmission. At a grocery store, you're in and out, but at the movies you're in an entirely enclosed, windowless theater for a longer period and that helps the virus spread--and apparently spread beyond six feet, so social distancing may not help. Outdoor events and short indoor stays are much safer than prolonged indoor stays. As much as I'd love to go to the movies again, not sure I'm going to for a while.

But I'm glad to see the two Hartford theaters getting renovated. Assuming they survive the pandemic, I'll be a regular customer.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by Reilly1017

Grocery store shopping for 30 minutes and sitting in the same place for 2 hours watching a movie in a theatre is not the same thing.

If there is social distancing and you like wearing a mask through a whole movie, go for it, but it’s different than a stroll through a store where you are not near the same stranger for a majority of it

Amen. Plus I fully expect virtually all new movies to go pay per view concurrent with theatre releases. I'll choose the latter. Not wearing a mask 2.25 to 2.5 hours with previews.

Maybe in 2021 I'd visit a theatre. I used to go at the Connecticut Post mall. I would not go in 2020.

[beerbeer]

There are certain movies like the Avengers that are much, much better in theaters. Movie theaters will take a while to come back but until someone can put a 60-foot movie screen in your house, they will survive.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

There are certain movies like the Avengers that are much, much better in theaters. Movie theaters will take a while to come back but until someone can put a 60-foot movie screen in your house, they will survive.

An 80 inch HD 4K TV with high end sound from 10 feet away will suffice. Same approx ratio as a theatre. Theatres are eventual goners. Just from tech alone, not Covid.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

An 80 inch HD 4K TV with high end sound from 10 feet away will suffice. Same approx ratio as a theatre. Theatres are eventual goners. Just from tech alone, not Covid.

, but Covid will expedite it. Same way it crushed 100k NYC businesses. Cash flow stopped, rents and property taxes continued.

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

, but Covid will expedite it. Same way it crushed 100k NYC businesses. Cash flow stopped, rents and property taxes continued.

It's going to expedite a lot of things. Brick and mortar offices, rush hour traffic, college campuses except for R&D, malls except for NJ, humans working at McDonalds, just to name a few.
Restaurants, live entertainment & sports will return full bore.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

It's going to expedite a lot of things. Brick and mortar offices, rush hour traffic, college campuses except for R&D, malls except for NJ, humans working at McDonalds, just to name a few.
Restaurants, live entertainment & sports will return full bore.

I think restaurants at a reduced quantity do ok, live entertainment not for a few years, same for sports, I doubt they have 40k at MLB until 2022.

People will avoid large crowds a long time after this. 4k died in this state. Lets add context to it, "at the end of Scully (plane landing on Hudson), he says 155 people (at reunion). But when you add wives, husbands, kids, parents, uncles, aunts, friends of the 155 it becomes a large number." Try that with 4k plus dead in Ct. 30k in Ny.12k in NJ. The 3 states will, no doubt, surpass 50k covid deaths this year. That means, as Scully is correct, 500k are grieving covid related deaths in the tri-state.

That alters behavior after covid leaves, long-term.