Niantic Cinemas is making Mondays for vaccinated customers only
Sep. 30—Movie theaters have long hosted theme nights, but here's a new one: In the world of COVID-19, some are now holding vaccinated-customers-only days.
Niantic Cinemas is the latest to add to this growing trend, with its first "CinéVac Mondays" scheduled for Oct. 4.
Peter E. Mitchell, manager of Niantic Cinemas, says he heard a podcast about two movie theaters, one in Peterborough, N.H., and one in Bryn Mawr, Penn., doing vaccinated-patrons-only days, to great effect. It has attracted back to those cinemas people who were wary of returning even though they are vaccinated.
With this concept in mind, Niantic Cinemas asked for feedback from its Facebook followers and got positive responses.
And so Niantic Cinemas is going to try its "CinéVac Mondays."
"It's an evolving program, and we have to see how people respond to it," Mitchell says.
The plan is that, on Mondays, when patrons are buying tickets, they will be asked to show their vaccination card and a photo ID, so the face can be matched with the name.
Customers are supposed to wear their masks until they are in their seats.
The auditoriums are fairly large so allow for social distancing, Mitchell says.
On a related note, Niantic Cinemas also recently established a new policy: everyone who works at the theater has to be vaccinated. One employee hadn't gotten a shot and now has the first of two, with the second scheduled for Oct. 12. that person won't be working on Oct. 4. And all employees will wear face masks.
On the other six days of the week, Niantic Cinemas will continue to be open to everyone, with folks required to wear masks when not eating or drinking.
After reopening on June 25 from shutting because of the pandemic, Niantic Cinemas' audience numbers has been significantly down, Mitchell says. (Some of that no doubt has to do with the fact that a number of companies, Disney and Warner Bros. among them, are now streaming their releases on the same day they premiere in theaters.)
The "CinéVac Mondays" are a way to try to bring some hesitant folks back into the venue, including seniors, who have been a big part of Niantic Cinemas' business. Mitchell says that seniors like coming with friends to the theater to see a matinee — and enjoying that sense of community — as opposed to streaming a release at home. During the pandemic, though, they have been staying at home more. Mitchell says they seem to be trickling back to the theater, and "CinéVac Mondays" are meant to create an environment where people — seniors and everyone else — feel safe.
