Movie theater shutdowns may bring long-term pain to Oviedo Mall, other retail centers

As Nikki Hafner shopped at Oviedo Mall for the first time since March on a recent Friday with her 3-year-old son, going to the mall’s Regal Cinemas movie theater during the coronavirus pandemic wouldn’t have appealed to her even if it were open.

“My husband’s a big movie guy, but he hasn’t gone,” said Hafner, 38, of Oviedo. "I couldn’t tell you the last time we went to the movies, and we honestly have no intention of going for the foreseeable future. ... There’s no way I would sit in a movie theater right now with anybody.”

Regal’s temporary shutdown of its 536 theaters across the country earlier this month likely won’t hurt Oviedo Mall and other retail centers much more because theaters were already seeing fewer customers because of the pandemic. But the COVID-19 crisis might have created another long-term problem for the businesses already struggling to compete with online shopping before the pandemic hit.

“They closed because nobody’s coming in the doors,” said Justin Greider, a senior vice president and Florida retail lead at real estate firm JLL. “They weren’t coming in to see the movies anyway.”

These days, movie fans are watching new films like “Mulan” and “Trolls World Tour” after they were released on streaming services.

Greider said theaters went from not having to worry about losing customers to the internet at the start of this year to facing a “very high risk of that right now.“

Empty theaters could mean fewer people eating and drinking in neighboring restaurants and bars, or maybe buying things at nearby shops.

Another loss at Oviedo Mall

Regal announced its temporary closures earlier this month, saying at the time studios had been reluctant to release new movies and as major markets such as New York remain closed.

The movie theater joins closed retailers including Macy’s, Sears and Victoria’s Secret that no longer draw customers to Oviedo Mall.

While mall general manager Kevin Hipes calls the theater an anchor, he said its initial reopening from coronavirus shutdowns earlier in the year did not have an impact as very few people came back to theaters. Hipes, who is also a franchisee of the food court’s Mooyah Burgers, said one reason for that was the lack of new blockbusters.

The new James Bond film “No Time to Die,” for instance, has been delayed until April.

Hipes remains optimistic about the future.

There are plans to transform the mall into a mixed-use center, with a developer previously proposing tearing down the empty Macy’s to build hundreds of apartments and a hotel.

“Our redevelopment is two years down the road and by then the virus should no longer be an issue and the theaters should be back to showing blockbuster movies,” Hipes said.

Hafner, whose 5-year-old daughter attended children’s education facility O2B Kids at the mall before the pandemic, was a regular at the center before the pandemic.

“For the kids, I think it’s great. We’ve got kids' clothing, kids' shoes, the arcade,” Hafner said. "It’s sad that things are closing, but for the kids, I think it’s still a great mall.”

In addition to Oviedo Mall, Regal has Central Florida theaters in Winter Park Village, Waterford Lakes Town Center, Pointe Orlando, Kissimmee, Apopka, Port Orange and Ormond Beach.

“As our guests continue to adapt to the pandemic, they are creating an in-home theater experience and retailers such as Target, Best Buy and Ashley Home Store are available at Waterford Lakes Town Center to help them do just that,” Waterford Lakes Town Center general manager Lynda Glinski said in an emailed statement. “In addition to the strong retailer mix, Waterford Lakes Town Center also offers a variety of amenities such as our new Orlando Health Fitness Loop and events like The Playhouse, a new event series of live dinner shows added this year.”

‘The bright lights and the life’

The effects of Regal’s closure have been felt to different degrees at Joe Liguori’s two restaurants in Winter Park Village: The Hangry Bison and Pizzeria Valdiano.

The Hangry Bison would see customers come in before and after movie showings, although it is hard to determine how much impact the theater closing has had amid the other effects of the pandemic, Ligouri said.

The movie theater being closed didn’t stop 64-year-old Lake Mary resident Bill Wen from getting lunch at The Hangry Bison on a Friday with his friend, 68-year-old Clermont resident Mike Barnett. Wen said the center’s restaurants are the draw for him.

“It’s central for a lot of us," Wen said. “With outdoor seating and living in Florida, it’s always nice to sit outside and chat.”

At Pizzeria Valdiano, the impact is clearer. That restaurant, next door to the theater, was designed for foot traffic coming in and out of the movies. Ligouri estimated about half its business came from people coming in for pizza-by-the-slice or a slice with a drink or salad.

Pizzeria Valdiano has since transitioned to focusing on takeout and dine-in and also pushes delivery through Uber Eats.

While Ligouri said he believes his restaurants will survive, he has long-term concerns if the theater were to stay closed.

“You lose that traffic generator from the theater and the bright lights and the life, I think big picture, we might feel it,” he said.

afuller@orlandosentinel.com

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