Going to the Cinema during Covid

sheepsh4gger

Shred wrote: »

Yeah I would have no problem going to see certain types if films at a drive in if there's no regular cinema alternative, not big production films though with the sound restricted to plain old stereo. However, not having to contend with ignorant assholes putting their feet on your chair/mobile phone twats/loud talkers etc. would be a bonus I suppose.
I've gone to a few of those 'Retro Drive-ins' and they were enjoyable enough, although I really dislike the way they pack the cars in bumper to bumper - you're locked in there until the film's over which wouldn't be great if there's an emergency of some sort.

Alike anyone can tell the difference between stereo and surround.

kerplun k

pixelburp wrote: »

Myself and the wife discussed it the last few days as I'd warmed to the risk of a trip; she however is just not comfortable enough to go. We're pregnant with our first so totally respect why she's still nervous about any nonessential trip. Local cafés and restaurants are as far as she's happy to push things. The world's floating in this weird, half assed state adjacent to a 2nd wave and yeah. Could see why a cinema feels too much a risk.

Tenet would currently be the only thing I'd estimate as worth the big screen experience but I'll live without it. Methinks it might yet appear as a home release quicker than normal conditions.

Your in the same boat as me so.

I’m reluctantly giving the cinema a pass. The kicker is, even with a home release, I’m not gonna have the time to watch, that is unless it’s released in the next 3 weeks. Other than that it’s probably gonna be about 10 months before I can properly watch anything.

branie2

I'm going to see Tenet tomorrow.

AMKC

kerplun k wrote: »

Your in the same boat as me so.

I’m reluctantly giving the cinema a pass. The kicker is, even with a home release, I’m not gonna have the time to watch, that is unless it’s released in the next 3 weeks. Other than that it’s probably gonna be about 10 months before I can properly watch anything.

It's out now or at least it should be. I do not see myself going to the cinema's for at least 18months and I am ok with that as I have plenty to keep me entertained at home anyway.

Ikozma

Went to see jurassic Park during the week, twas fine out, bit weird seeing it in cinema again after all these years but it stood the test of time well in fairness

kerplun k

AMKC wrote: »

It's out now or at least it should be. I do not see myself going to the cinema's for at least 18months and I am ok with that as I have plenty to keep me entertained at home anyway.

Sorry. Meant home release.
Anyhews, I’ll also have plenty to keep me busy as well

El Tarangu

bogmanfan wrote: »

I think there's a market for second run cinemas here. Just look at Christmas time, when Die Hard, Home Alone, Gremlins, Love Actually etc are regularly reshown. There seems to be a big demand for those.

I would also love to see 2nd run cinemas, but the fact that the films you listed are so readily available, often on-demand, in people's homes, illustrates the competition that any such cinema would face.

Parsnips wrote: »

I would genuinely like to see Drive in Cinemas appear. Surely there is a huge gap for this to make a comeback.
€30 a car. Bring your own grub. sitting with your own family. BINGO

There was a drive-in cinema in Leopardstown race course recently, AFAIK.
Where I live (not in Ireland), they have outdoor cinema in summer, but this faces the same issue that a drive-in cinema in Ireland would face: during the summer months, it doesn't get properly dark until 10 at night. So this really limits the number of showings you could have in a day.

(in the winter, of course it will be darker earlier, but there would be a lot of rainy days - I don't think that watching a film intermittently through the windscreen wipers would be appealing proposition).

alzer100

CinemaGuy45 wrote: »

I have come to hate the cinema for the reasons above.

In my view the reason for a lot of this is due to the fact that the cinemas can't afford to take a stringent approach to this type of behaviour as the country is over saturated with cinemas and there is too much competition.

I remember the days when Dublin city had its theatrical screens. You had to behave or would be asked to leave.
I remember these ushers dressed in black suits and bow ties who would patrol the auditorium during a showing and would address any type of behaviour that would be destroying another patrons experience and they would do it immediately.

I can recall the projector being stopped and the lights brought up in both the Adelphi and Savoy to remove certain people.

I can remember a full house in which everyone behaved and it actually added to the atmosphere of the film.
We now have mostly empty auditoriums with the few that are in them not having respect for anyone else and the cinema operators reluctant to atleast approach them.

Unfortunately it's the state of cinema now - the person serving you the popcorn and issuing your ticket is also the projectionist and cleaner etc.

If it meant having less cinemas but having a better experience when you attend one, then I would prefer that any day IMHO.

The Black Oil

No seats were taped off in Swords this morning. Probably 8-10 people there. Some urinals, sinks, etc, were closed.

I felt fine, even relaxed. It was comforting to be back in the cinema and forget about Covid for a few hours. I didn't take my mask off completely, but pulled it down a bit.

Dodge

El Tarangu wrote: »

There was a drive-in cinema in Leopardstown race course recently, AFAIK.
Where I live (not in Ireland), they have outdoor cinema in summer, but this faces the same issue that a drive-in cinema in Ireland would face: during the summer months, it doesn't get properly dark until 10 at night. So this really limits the number of showings you could have in a day.

(in the winter, of course it will be darker earlier, but there would be a lot of rainy days - I don't think that watching a film intermittently through the windscreen wipers would be appealing proposition).

There’s been drive in movies in Ireland for the past decade or so. Every halloween, most easters and some summers

I’ve gone to a couple of the Halloween films. Always decent crowds but I’d imagine part of that is a novelty factor

Penfailed

Going to see Tenet tonight. Looking forward to it.

CinemaGuy45

alzer100 wrote: »

In my view the reason for a lot of this is due to the fact that the cinemas can't afford to take a stringent approach to this type of behaviour as the country is over saturated with cinemas and there is too much competition.

I remember the days when Dublin city had its theatrical screens. You had to behave or would be asked to leave.
I remember these ushers dressed in black suits and bow ties who would patrol the auditorium during a showing and would address any type of behaviour that would be destroying another patrons experience and they would do it immediately.

I can recall the projector being stopped and the lights brought up in both the Adelphi and Savoy to remove certain people.

I can remember a full house in which everyone behaved and it actually added to the atmosphere of the film.
We now have mostly empty auditoriums with the few that are in them not having respect for anyone else and the cinema operators reluctant to atleast approach them.

Unfortunately it's the state of cinema now - the person serving you the popcorn and issuing your ticket is also the projectionist and cleaner etc.

If it meant having less cinemas but having a better experience when you attend one, then I would prefer that any day IMHO.

I think Cinemas are going to find it very hard to survive.

Years ago we only had VHS on crappy small CRT TVs now we have UHD HDR on big flat screens with good surround sound.

The Adelphi and Savoy use to offer an experience the massive rooms the drapes on the massive scope screens and all before the days of the blight of Smart Phones.

I think the best days of movies and Cinema are behind us forever.

Went to see Tenet (disappointing) but not really planning to hit the cinema again in the near future.

When I booked it (near the screening time) I could see by the seat-booking system that there was pretty much nobody else booked in and that I seated nowhere near anybody else.

Simply unsustainable business model for the cinema operators going forward like that really.

alzer100

We will see a pattern of increased ticket prices and confectionery costs to make up for the loss in numbers.

I believe certain cinemas will close. Any cinema that is part of a chain but is making a loss will be heading for the chopping block IMHO

People who really still believe and enjoy attending the cinema will bear the brunt of this.

santana75

Went to see Tenet in the Omniplex and it was "packed". Most screenings were sold out. I mean sold out is half capacity but they have put on so many screenings that the cinema was probably doing aswell under normal circumstances. When you think about it, it was a smart decision by chris nolan to release Tenet now as there is absolutely no competition. Hope it continues to do well, would hate to see any cinema close for good.

gmisk

I was in the lighthouse at the weekend for tenet.
Screening at 12.
A few in.
They are doing a serious amount of spacing.
1/2 rows completely unused. They are also blocking out two seats on either side of each booking.
Felt very comfy no need to wear mask in screen.

alzer100

Mr.S wrote: »

Odeon point village have a decent setup - limited seating, hand santizer throughout, urinals blocked off, when the film is over your told to wait in your seat and they clear the screen row by row to avoid everyone clumping together. Masks needed until you sit down.

The only thing that they could improve is taking contact tracing details which was done manually by one person before you entered the screens, which caused a bit of a queue. QR code + self input would be easier / quicker.

No issues with going to the cinema based on the above.

In fairness, although quite expensive Odeon Point Village (Screen 1 anyway), is probably the best cinema in Dublin city centre IMHO.

Ash.J.Williams

Bacchus wrote: »

I didn't want to name Coronavirus specifically in the thread but yeah, with increasing calls and measures being put in place around the world to avoid events and large gatherings... surely this sentiment will filter down to making cinema trips.

Before anyone jumps in with "people are dying, who cares about cinema", yes, the impact on cinema is way down the list of things to be concerned about but I'm just curious about what the impact will be.

Globally, there must be a visible decline in bums on seats. Even the tentpole Spring/Summer blockbusters must revising their predicted box offices with the prospect of a prolonged epidemic.

At a personal level, will it cause you to maybe reconsider this weeks trip to the cinema? For me, I go maybe once every two months. I've no intention of going to the cinema though until this all settles down and is contained.

yeah can't wait to see tenet

sheepsh4gger

Go somewhere, sit with unruly teenagers, drink coke based on tap water, have my shoes tick to the floor, catch a virus in the toilets. No thanks, not a bug chaser.

I think also 20% of the image is always cut off.

Today you can get TVs that have higher resolution an you will see the entire image.

Also the cinema 4k is garbage - yes it is 4k but it comes at cost of pixel fill so you get a screen door effect like in VR. If you have greater pixel fill it feels like higher resolution than more actual pixels but spaces in-between them.

gmisk

alzer100 wrote: »

In fairness, although quite expensive Odeon Point Village (Screen 1 anyway), is probably the best cinema in Dublin city centre IMHO.

It is a really good screen.
It also helps to the viewing enjoyment that it is usually empty

gmisk

sheepsh4gger wrote: »

Go somewhere, sit with unruly teenagers, drink coke based on tap water, have my shoes tick to the floor, catch a virus in the toilets. No thanks, not a bug chaser.

I think also 20% of the image is always cut off.

Today you can get TVs that have higher resolution an you will see the entire image.

Also the cinema 4k is garbage - yes it is 4k but it comes at cost of pixel fill so you get a screen door effect like in VR. If you have greater pixel fill it feels like higher resolution than more actual pixels but spaces in-between them.

You might have been going to the wrong cinemas. If going to one of the bit chains it can be grand if you go early and pretty cheap. You don't have to buy drinks snacks there either.
I would always recommend somewhere like the lighthouse,they are doing a great job with spacing etc at the minute

genius200iq

Read that hollywood is hurting big time with covid, the age of $200M event movies are over, we will be seeing a lot more $50 -100M movies that can be put on streaming services, to be honest im all for it, have a nice big 4k Tv at home, fridge full of food and drink , can pause to go to toilet and won't have to listen to idiots talking.
Also read that Disney are getting fully behind CGI actors, no need to shut down shooting during a Plague , can all be shot remotely on a PC, without millions in actor wages and dealing with their problems.
I think the future of film is bright, we could see more risk taking, currently Hollywood if afraid to take chances with the $200+M budgets, hence the glut of sequels and superheroes movies, might take a few risks on lower budgets if it the norm.

ixoy

genius200iq wrote: »

Also read that Disney are getting fully behind CGI actors, no need to shut down shooting during a Plague , can all be shot remotely on a PC, without millions in actor wages and dealing with their problems.

CGI actors? Do you mean the CGI sets that they used in 'The Mandalorian'? It's a wrap around screen that you can project images against in real time, making it much easier for the actors to interact with and reducing the cost of location shooting.
We're a long way from CGI actors still.

pixelburp

Yeah, the uncanny valley has something to say about the current sophistication of CGI actors. Budgets taking a dive back towards sanity would be nice all right and might allow more creativity but we ain't at the CGI singularity just yet.

genius200iq

ixoy wrote: »

CGI actors? Do you mean the CGI sets that they used in 'The Mandalorian'? It's a wrap around screen that you can project images against in real time, making it much easier for the actors to interact with and reducing the cost of location shooting.
We're a long way from CGI actors still.

No full on CGI actors, if memory serves 2023-4 release, no need to deal with human actors and their demands, we can see with our own eyes the tech is coming on leaps and bounds year on year, i would imagine it will be a huge leap from the Nvidea CGI faces photos, but any way check it out, quality is unreal.
thispersondoesnotexist.com/
Just check out the site , all computer generated faces, 100% real looking, if they show us this , what is locked away behind closed doors?

Nigel Fairservice

I went to see Unhinged this afternoon. Went to see it because it had been in a while and had a mid afternoon show (and I liked the trailer for it). It was great to be back in a cinema! It had been nearly 6 months since I last went to one. There was only me and 1 other person in the screen and I bought my ticket and popcorn online before I went in. I could probably count the number of people I saw or interacted with on one hand.

Lefty2Guns

Second visit to the cinema yesterday since reopening, this time to see TENET in Dundrum. Possibly about 20 people max in the screen/room.

Had tickets booked for IMC Dun Laoghaire and got an email to say TENET was cancelled on all screens due to technical issues. I'd say IMC are up **** creek and couldn't afford to let the movie from the production company. Doesn't sound good for IMC at all.

Parsnips

Lefty2Guns wrote: »

Second visit to the cinema yesterday since reopening, this time to see TENET in Dundrum. Possibly about 20 people max in the screen/room.

Had tickets booked for IMC Dun Laoghaire and got an email to say TENET was cancelled on all screens due to technical issues. I'd say IMC are up **** creek and couldn't afford to let the movie from the production company. Doesn't sound good for IMC at all.

No... Ide say IMC are drowning.
The Square IMC shutup shop fairly quickly and believe me ... It had gone to the dogs well before that. I am guessing from the attitude and faces of the staff that they are absolutley horrible to work for. Either that or a serious management problem.

alzer100

Parsnips wrote: »

No... Ide say IMC are drowning.
The Square IMC shutup shop fairly quickly and believe me ... It had gone to the dogs well before that. I am guessing from the attitude and faces of the staff that they are absolutley horrible to work for. Either that or a serious management problem.

IMC are an aggressive company who really don't care about the customer.

They will keep their branches closed, particularly the ones that are non profitable and the ones that won't make a decent return for them under the current seating layout conditions.

I would think the viability of cinemas like the Savoy on O'Connell Street which is under their umbrella of companies are in trouble. I could be proven wrong but...

Irish Aris

alzer100 wrote: »

IMC are an aggressive company who really don't care about the customer.

They will keep their branches closed, particularly the ones that are non profitable and the ones that won't make a decent return for them under the current seating layout conditions.

I would think the viability of cinemas like the Savoy on O'Connell Street which is under their umbrella of companies are in trouble. I could be proven wrong but...

Yeah, good point. I think Savoy is still closed, right?

I reckon cinemas will struggle, in the short term at least. I'm going to Cineworld (have a membership) and even with the reduced capacity there weren't many people. Even for Tenet, the IMAX screen had around 20-25 people (granted on a Thursday evening, but second day of opening), I thought even with Social distancing you could fit more people in.
Hopefully things will pick up soon and more people will start going as more films will be released in the coming weeks and months.