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Ive been in the business all my life, says Los Angeles independent theater owner Lance Alspaugh.
The earthquake in California in 94 was pretty bad.
The [1993] riots in California, that was pretty bad.
You had 9/11, that was pretty bad for movie theaters.
But this is probably the biggest challenge.
Its not hard to believe him.
In the space of barely two weeks, COVID-19 has basicallyshut down the film industry.
Production on films and television shows has ceased.Major movies have been postponed, some indefinitely.
None of the theater owners made the decision lightly.
So they looked to one another.
Ryan Oestreich, general manager of ChicagosMusic Box Theatre, agrees.
So if we are trying to flatten this curve then lets all be stewards and do it together.
We dont need to be forced; were just going to close down.
But none of them harbor any illusions about the choppy waters ahead.
So how will the theaters weather this storm?
Well, weve got to be nimble, Oestreich says.
Theres only so much they can accomplish with budgeting ingenuity.
There are bills that will come that have to be paid, Oestreich says.
I know some places are laying them off or furloughing them, Oestreich says.
Were trying to pay them.
No one will be laid off in the meanwhile.
But not every venue has that kind of flexibility.
Thats not there for them, Duncan says.
So right now, theyre home.
Im feeling for them because their ability to make money during this time is really cut off.
So we felt the need to act quickly, in solidarity.
They set up theCinema Worker Solidarity Fund, a GoFundMe to provide immediate assistance to those employees.
But the most important step supporters of these venues can take is the simplest.
They can return once the ban is lifted, Alspaugh says.
Im not surprised that that is happening, Alspaugh says.
Yet its entirely possible that weeks or months of all-streaming entertainment could have the opposite effect.
Im hoping that this entire experience just leads people to say, You know what?
I still need the social interactions.
I still need to be in a cinema with other people.
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