A Screen to Ourselves at Cinemark's Private Watch Party
The COVID-19 has hit certain industries harder than others - namely, those that are beholden to maximum capacity and close quarters in order to turn a profit. One such industry is that of the modern movie theatre, where air circulation is typically poor and patrons are difficult to monitor for compliance with mask and distancing rules. Safety concerns have prompted many to avoid going to the theatre and - in turn - prompted many major production studios to delay or withdraw their then-upcoming blockbusters from the release schedule altogether. We decided long ago that attending a 2020 theatrical premiere was out of the question based on similar concerns, but Cinemark was able to to change our minds. Why? Well, for one thing, the ‘Monster Hunter’ (Tony Jaa, Milla Jovovich) theatrical release went ahead as planned for December 18th, and we all know that Kaiju films should always be seen first on the biggest, loudest screen available.
Moreover, Cinemark is presently offering ‘private watch parties’ in our area. For between $99-$149*, you can steal away a screen to watch a brand new movie with between 1-20 of your own friends and family - and NOBODY else! This is a major development for the silver screen, as private bookings would previously have run the cost of a full auditorium (at roughly $20 per seat) for a total of between $800-$1200 per theatre. The pandemic has forced the industry to get creative in order to keep audiences interested in the theatrical experience, and we have to say - this is one innovation that we can really get behind!
*Dependent on the recency of movie release
Other theatrical safety enhancements include:
No-contact payment methods, such as Apple Pay
Social distancing in concession, validation and ticketing lines
Masks required for both staff and patrons
Restrooms cleaned every thirty (30) minutes
Theatres cleaned with antibacterial chemicals after each show
Designated safety & sanitation representative assigned to each theatre
Now none of this is to say that the experience is entirely without risk, as you’ll still be interacting with staff and seated in a closed-circulation room for roughly two hours at a time. But the inherent risk posed by outside parties is dramatically reduced when there are no outside parties. All in all, we thought that it was well worth the $149 price tag to be able to experience the movie theatre a bit more safely after eight months of tiptoeing around the experience. If you want to book your own cinemark watch party, you can do so on their website by clicking through HERE. And, if you’d like to know more about our experience, well - that’s what the vlog is for! Check out our short video below:
