If you've been looking forward to seeing movies on the big screen again, Film.Ca Cinemas has some good news for you. After being closed for 129 days - more than four months - they are open for audiences once again. And they're ready for film lovers to come back to the big screen.
Film.Ca Cinemas is Oakville's only indoor independent cinema. (There are also two chain-owned theatres in town and the outdoor 5 Drive-In which reopened last month to sold-out audiences.)
And despite a looming threat to staying open, the cinema is ready to welcome guests home.
With large scale events like sports, concerts and live theatre cancelled for the foreseeable future, big-screen movies are the last major form of entertainment to resume in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Knoll, CEO and owner of Film.Ca Cinemas, is almost as excited as the opening night audiences were to be back at the theatre.
"A movie theatre is meant to be a place for people to come and be entertained. It's a shame because it's just been sitting here," says Knoll. "We're in the movie business and we love entertaining people - that’s what this is all about."
What movies are now playing at Film.Ca Cinemas
The four movies playing for July 24-30, the first week of reopening, are:
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- The Greatest Showman (read Oakville News' review here)
- Zootopia (read about Sheridan Alumni's work on the film)
Studios are offering new catalogue titles on a weekly basis until major Hollywood releases resume.
But Knoll is also working to find new movies that are still playing. These include limited releases, new Canadian titles, and independent cinema that otherwise might not get to be seen on the big screen.
He says, "I’m looking forward to being able to play some independent and some alternative programming. We don’t always get those opportunities and this might be a fun time to play some of those films that wouldn’t otherwise get to the movie theatre."
One of those films will be One Pandemic Day, an upcoming documentary the cinema and Knoll are producing that's centred in Oakville. It will screen at the cinema and be available on Vimeo when it opens on Friday, August 14.
Film.Ca Cinemas' opening isn't finished yet
The cinema's reopening, however, isn't fully finished. Ontario's current restrictions in Stage 3 limit indoor buildings to 50 people at a time, and that's not enough to restart business as usual at Film.Ca. Since the law limits only 50 people at once, the five screen, 799-seat theatre is significantly capped.
"The biggest challenge with 50 people in the entire building is it’s not even covering our costs," says Knoll. "But we feel it’s important as a community service to be here. It also gets our feet wet when it comes to dealing with operating a business with COVID-19."
For now, the cinema is only running two films at once instead of five. Ticket sales are also limited to only 45 people between screenings running side-by-side to accommodate staff needing to run the cinema.
This works for the time being, as Knoll wanted to open the cinema as a thank-you to the community for helping them stay afloat during the four month closure. But these restricted audiences (only 5.6% of the theatre's capacity) can't keep the doors open for long.
An amendment to the legislation regulating Ontario's reopening rules in Stage 3 is needed for the cinema to stay open. The restrictions are so tight, in fact, it's the reason all Cineplex cinemas in Ontario are still closed (even though many could've reopened last weekend.)
Ontario is the only province in Canada that hasn't made an indoor business limit exemption for movie theatres.
There's an abundance of new safety measures
Film.Ca has implemented several new rules and procedures to get the building ready for audiences again and keep everyone safe while they're here.
Whimsical, movie-themed social distancing stickers help direct audiences in the lobby and in lines. Cinemas have independent air circulation systems and are fully sanitized between shows.
WATCH: Oakville News' Tyler Collins interviews Jeff Knoll about the reopening of Film.Ca Cinemas
The theatre is also asking guests to pre-purchase tickets on their new reserved ticketing system, and they hope to roll out a new ticketing app sometime next week.
Ultimately, Knoll is most excited to have guests back in the cinema. The spirit of a movie theatre is only that of those there to enjoy it - and that's exactly what the first audiences Friday night did.
"We have put so much effort into making sure that our facility is clean and safe," says Knoll. "We will provide people an opportunity to come back to the movies without being at risk."
What you can do to support Film.Ca Cinemas
The cinema has several initiatives and programs ongoing to help support the cinema during its partial reopening. Some of them include:
- Buy-a-Seat Campaign ($150 which includes a plaque and night-at-the-movies voucher)
- Donations on Distantly.com
- Film.Ca Cinemas movies at home
- Summer Camps and Children's programs
Learn more about Film.Ca Cinemas reopening procedures on their website here. Reserved seating tickets are also available online for all showtimes.
