Hollywood Hopes: Laemmle Theatres President Opens Up About Reopening

As Pasadena and the rest of California slowly emerge from the Coronavirus lockdown, one entertainment arena that many are hoping to patronize soon is the area’s movie theatres. The way in which the theatrical business returns will likely have major differences, such as limited crowd sizes due to social distancing and extensive new levels of sanitizing auditoriums.

But perhaps the greatest challenge theatres face is the fact that audiences have grown far more accustomed to watching films on streaming platforms while stuck at home since Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered area theatres closed in March.

Yet Greg Laemmle, the president of one of arthouse cinema chain Laemmle Theatres – which includes the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena – remains hopeful that film buffs will return if and when his screens reopen this summer.

“Things are still uncertain, because we were told the governor would announce a reopening date, but that decision devolved from the state down to the county, then the city level,” says Laemmle. “Everyone was hoping that a directive would be announced last week, but understandably there are more pressing concerns for city officials to deal with right now [amid the mass protests surrounding George Floyd’s death]. We have no idea when announcements are coming.”

Much hinges on the pending release of Warner Bros.’ expected blockbuster “Tenet,” which has been the one summer tentpole film to maintain its original release date of July 17. Laemmle notes that 75 percent of theatres are expected to be available to run “Tenet,” but with New York City and Los Angeles screens uncertain to open by that date, the studio may opt to delay its release.

“Everyone’s dancing around mid-July for reopening, but if Warner Brothers pushes it back, that throws everything into disarray because you have to have compelling films to get people into theatres,” says Laemmle.

Laemmle’s comments come amid some concerns about the health of the world’s largest theatre chain, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., which announced in a regulatory filing Wednesday that “we cannot predict when our business will return to normal.” The chain operates more than 1000 theatres and 10,000 screens worldwide, and an MSN report noted that the company stated there were “substantial doubts” about its ability to continue operating past the end of July if theatres don’t reopen strongly.

The group has theaters in Alhambra, Arcadia and Glendale.

AMC posted a loss of over $2 billion for the year’s first quarter, which ended on March 3. Yet one reason for hope stems from the fact that it reopened three of its theatres in Norway on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the nation’s third-largest exhibitor, Cinemark, received positive response from Wall Street analysts after outlining plans to reopen movie theatres in the midst of the pandemic. The chain is counting on “Tenet” keeping its July 17 release date, and hopes that will lead other studios to release blockbuster fare such as “Wonder Woman” and “A Quiet Place” sequels on their scheduled dates in following weeks.

Ultimately, Laemmle rests his hopes on the core belief that people will be craving entertainment and ways to get out of the house whenever officials give the go-ahead for widespread theatre openings.

“There’s no question people want to get out, but they want to know it’s reasonably safe and what the risks are,” notes Laemmle. “We just want to know if we go through the process of re-staffing and bringing in the equipment needed for cleaning and safety, that it’s going to be fun to play.”