THUNDER BAY – Patrizia MacMillan had to pause as she walked into SilverCity Cinemas on Friday, doing a slight double take as she looked up at the screen displaying show times.
It’s been months since she last saw a full board of movies listed, dating well back into 2020 when the pandemic began.
MacMillan, the theatre’s general manager, was giddy as she spoke, several eager customers lining up for popcorn and snacks to chow down on while marking the return to indoor movies, the silver screen having been darkened since Christmas night when Premier Doug Ford ordered the province into a two-week shutdown.
The theatres never reopened.
“You can’t explain it,” MacMillan said. “There’s so much hype to get to this point and the kids are so excited. We have guests calling. You don’t realize you miss something as extravagant as coming to the movies until it’s not there.
“We’ve had a lot of cast (members) come back. They just want to serve our guests.”
There was plenty for movie buffs to choose from on Friday, starting with the latest Marvel offering, Black Widow. Space Jam: A New Legacy, F9: The Fast Saga, The Boss Baby: Family Business and the Forever Purge are some of the other movies being shown on reopening week.
Theatres were closed under provincial restrictions and not scheduled to reopen until July 21, but the province decided to enter into Step 3 of its reopening plan five days earlier than planned.
That’s great news for movie fans, who get to experience films the way their creators meant for them to be seen,” MacMillan said.
“If you’ve ever come to a Marvel movie or a blockbuster hits, yeah you can watch it at home and now streaming is even more part of our lives, but to sit in an auditorium with 350 people and hear them clap, or see them cry at the last Avengers, you can’t trade that. You can’t trade somebody walking in the building.”
Theatres in Ontario are limited to 50 per cent capacity, which MacMillan estimated in Thunder Bay means no more than 1,200 people. Cleaning measures are in place and individual auditoriums and seating areas are scrubbed down between screenings to ensure safety. Masks are also required unless eating or drinking at one’s seat.
For show times, visit the Cineplex website.
https://www.cineplex.com/Theatre/silvercity-thunder-bay-cinemas
