Regal Hollywood 10 to reopen in new movie landscape

May 8—The classic movie trailer voice refrain used to start with, "In a world ..."

In the case of the Regal Hollywood 10's Friday, May 14, reopening, it would go something like, "In a world where almost all new movies are going to streaming, can a movie theater survive?"

This is the question on the minds of local moviegoers as St. Joseph's last remaining cinema opens its doors back up for the first time since October 2020.

"It's so hard to tell what's going to happen," Bob Shultz, host of the St. Joseph Public Library's Friends Front Row Film Series, said. "I hope there's enough product out there moving in the early stages that they're going to be able to maintain the theater from a business aspect."

The Regal Hollywood 10's temporary shutdown marked the first time in a long while that St. Joseph has gone without a cinema. Shultz said that was a hard thing to bear for what he considers a movie-going city.

"Because I talk about movies ... People always want to tell me their experiences growing up in the movies, and, 'Oh, I saw this here,' and, 'We had so many different theaters.' People in this town really love the cinema and we need it. I mean, right now it's the only game in town. And it's such a pleasure to have them back and get people back to the wonder of movies."

The cinematic experience at the Regal Hollywood 10 will be different in several ways.

In a press release, Regal stated movie-goers will be required to wear a face mask while anywhere in the theater, including the lobby, restroom or auditorium. The theater will provide masks to patrons who do not have one. The masks can be removed only while eating and drinking while seated in an auditorium.

For those who refuse to wear a mask, the chain noted: "Where socially unacceptable behavior is observed, including the non-wearing of a mask, this will be addressed with the patron."

Beyond safety measures, the issue of new releases and what will draw people back to the theater remains up in the air.

Travis Grossman, executive director of Theatre Atchison, which runs the four-screen Fox Theater in Atchison, Kansas, said while "Godzilla Vs. Kong" was a huge hit, attendance there has been inconsistent.

"We've gotten a little bit of taste to success there again, and then the supply line shriveled up again. So we're just kind of digging around here," he said.

Part of the reason for the disappointment is the deal WarnerMedia struck with HBO Max in 2021, releasing blockbuster movies like "Mortal Kombat" and the upcoming "Space Jam" sequel simultaneously in cinemas and on its streaming app. In addition, other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video also have brought movies with planned theatrical runs to their platforms instead.

Russ Rushing, a St. Joseph native and co-host of the movie podcast Dunestone Redemption, said while he loves the theatrical experience, the convenience of streaming services and video on demand can't be denied.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. It's hard for me to not watch that film the day it went out and plan an outing to go see that same film in the theater, even though I know it's not the same experience," he said.

While that convenience may be true now, there's evidence that suggests movie studios want to get butts back in theater seats. HBO Max's deal with WarnerMedia will expire in 2022, meaning their movies would return to being theater exclusives. Postponed movies like Disney's "Cruella" and "Black Widow" and the "Fast and Furious" sequel "F9" are set to be released this summer.

Grossman said while things are slow now, with movies like the "Saw" spin-off "Spiral" and "Cruella" on the horizon, he expects a wealth of content in the coming months.

"We should be getting some wind in our sail (by the end of May). But I think all through the summer, they've got so many movies backed up, that I'm going to have to turn new content down ... There'll be weekends we'll have four or five movies coming out. And you know, those big houses are probably going to be eating it up."

With that said, there's also no doubt in Grossman's mind that the cinematic experience has changed during the pandemic and theaters will have to respond.

"We just have to keep increasing the quality. For us, it's customer service and comfortable seats and our staff seems to be just spot-on with the friendliness. We have to give them an experience they can't get at home," he said.

While Shultz and Rushing haven't returned to their usual monthly ritual of visiting the theater, they said they're looking forward to sitting in the dark again with a big bag of popcorn to have a shared experience with others like them.

"When we pass the Regal Hollywood, (my son) Bob reminds us 'Oh, we saw "Toy Story 4" there or we saw "Paddington 2" there.' He doesn't quite understand why we can't go back. Like, 'It's just closed now. But it's opening back up.' We look forward to getting back to that," he said.

Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.

Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug