Exhibitors blaming New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for failure to reopen theaters

Throughout this global pandemic, in regards to movie theaters nationwide, it has become clear that Los Angeles and New York are the two biggest box office markets in the States. The fact that they haven't allowed their movie theaters to reopen yet is the main reason major studios have shifted their tentpole release off if the 2020 calendar and into what they hope to be a more normal 2021 for moviegoing. The key difference between Los Angeles and New York is that California Governor Gavin Newsom has given the go-ahead for movie theaters to reopen in the state at limited capacity but he has left it up to the counties to decide when that should happen. Ventura County, Orange County, and San Diego have all had their theaters reopen so Newsom has at least given the option and guidance to reopen theaters if they choose to do so. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has not budged on his stance to keep movie theaters closed and many exhibitors blame his lack of guidance and unwillingness to try to safely reopen on the continued collapse of this particular industry.

In recent days, marquees around New York have been showcasing glaring messages begging and pressuring Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow cinemas to reopen. A Regal Cinemas in Times Square had a sign that read "48 states have reopened theatres safely. Why not New York, Gov. Cuomo?" Another New York location, The Aurora Theatre near Buffalo, was a bit more depressing with their marquee message that read "Now showing nothing. Starring nobody."

Cinema owners do have a right to be perturbed because not only can they not reopen but, in the case of New York, they feel there has been a lack of direction from officials in the Empire State about how they can reopen their businesses after being closed for nearly seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brett Bossard, executive director of Cinemapolis, had this to say about their general frustration:

"To say I'm frustrated would be an understatement. They've shared no guidelines or benchmarks and that's left us without any way to properly prepare. We're operating in the dark."

While the same issue is facing Los Angeles, there have been some talks that they will get the approval to begin reopening in the next few weeks. The same cannot be said for New York and this has created a growing sense of desperation across the state and it's a fear that is permeating throughout all of Hollywood. Studios are trying to figure out a way to profitably release their big blockbusters when one of its key markets seems to be closed indefinitely. if you look at the release of Christopher Nolan's TENET, you can see why they're concerned. The film has performed relatively well overseas, clearing $300 million worldwide but it has faltered on the domestic front. The film has grossed a mere $48.3 million domestically on a $200 million budget and reports say it needs about $200 million more to break even. That's simply not going to happen at this pace for Warner Bros. and its muted domestic performance happened in large part because theaters in New York City and Los Angeles remain closed.

The situation shifted to critical status when the James Bond film NO TIME TO DIE moved off of its November 2020 date to April of next year. It was soon after this that Cineworld decided to temporarily shutter their U.K. locations and also decided to do the same with their Regal Cinemas' in the U.S. After this took place, exhibitors became vocal in regards to Cuomo in particular that those surrounding him need to persuade him that it's safe to go back to the movies. Douglas Clark, co-managing partner at the Albany government affairs firm Shenker Russo & Clark, and his partner Richard Lauricella have been lobbying on behalf of the National Association of Theatre Owners of New York for the last two months and they have been calling the governor's advisers and arguing that movie theaters will not cause a spike in COVID-19 infections. Considering how critical things were at the start of the pandemic for New York, Cuomo has enjoyed soaring popularity for turning things around in a big way for the state and this is why he has been able to absorb some criticism in regards to this issue. This could be why he's in no rush to allow movie theaters to open their doors in the state.

The criticism, that honestly seems justified, is that movie theaters haven't been grouped with other forms of shopping and entertainment. Movie theater chains are being lumped in with larger performance venues, like Broadway theaters and arenas, that depend on larger crowds to break even. Cuomo has considered the movie business to be both "high risk" and "non-essential." The argument is being made that it's easier to reopen movie theaters at a limited capacity and is likely safe than some of the venues that have been allowed to reopen the state. Also, as previously stated, the lack of direction from the Governor seems to be the main sticking point because without guidance, how can they even prepare to reopen properly?

Complicating things in New York in regards to movie theaters reopening is the fact that it has coincided with the emergence of COVID-19 hot spots in Brooklyn and Queens, which resulted in new closure orders last week. This could be another reason why Cuomo is hesitant to reopen anything at this point but his focus is also likely taken up by the protests that resulted in Borough Park, an ultra-Orthodox community, due to the clampdown. It also led to lawsuits from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Agudath Israel of America, which represents Orthodox synagogues. When this is the issue monopolizing your time, do you really have time to look into safely reopening movie theaters?

Cinema owners stress that other parts of the state's reopening have taken place on a regional basis so spikes in one particular part of the state, shouldn't determine the reopening status of another. Joe Masher, chief operating of Bow Tie Cinemas and the president of NATO of New York, had this to say about the matter:

"If there are spikes in Queens and Brooklyn, why should the Capital District or parts of Upstate, which are doing well in terms of COVID suffer? Allow us to prove that we can reopen thoughtfully and safely."

So, can the global movie business fall on one man? Cinema owners seem to believe that Governor Cuomo has caused a major stall in the industry that may be hard to recover from unless he begins to budge soon. There is no denying how big of a market New York is for the box office and it is the reason studios decided to push some of their bigger releases to next year but the problem is bigger than Cuomo. Exhibitors need bailouts from Congress, which many filmmakers have suggested, and they need help from the studios that will honestly need them to house their big blockbusters. There is a lot of blame to go around but instead of blame, I think alternatives need to be looked into instead of blaming one person or entity for the collapse of the movie industry.

Do any of our readers live in New York? What are YOUR thoughts on Cuomo's refusal to reopen movie theaters?