Following the president’s address on June 17, Nu Metro joins the local industry in celebrating the thrilling news that cinemas can again reopen.
They are looking forward to sharing the magic of the movies with all their loyal fans very soon with a schedule of great big-screen attractions lined up. It has been a long three months of not being able to operate, but they sure are ready and excited to give movie fans even more of what they love.
Government-gazetted regulations last week gave them the legal approval to collaborate with competitors on a co-ordinated industry opening. The nature of the engagement is currently a work-in-progress.
Details of how cinemas would be able to reopen form part of the discussion process and plans. Once the government has approved the date for reopening, it will be confirmed. This will also including the required directives on safety and other protocols for effective compliance as part of the risk-based approach to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some of the plans they expect to implement include:
• Extensive social distancing measures for seating in cinemas as well as in the cinema foyer space
• Limiting seating capacity and staggering access
• Encouraging online ticket purchases
• Access to hand sanitiser at cinema access points and 70 to 80 per cent of all other areas in each of complexes nationwide
• Training of staff in health, hygiene, safety and other preventative protocols
• Disinfecting high-touch point areas such as kiosks, self-service terminals, serving counters, door handles, rails, benches, booths and bathroom areas
• Increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting all high-touch point areas throughout the day
• Door handles, ticket counters, as well as service counters, will be disinfected every 30 minutes during business hours
• Nightly deep-cleaning of all venues
• Wearing of masks and other required PPEs, and
• Other measures to protect staff and moviegoers’ health and safety.
Further details regarding the re-opening will be confirmed in due course, including more specific plans on health and safety protocols.
You can look forward
Some of the major films rescheduled for release in cinemas later this year include Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, Universal’s No Time To Die (the new James Bond movie), Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984 and acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, Disney’s Mulan and various independent studio titles, such as Russell Crowe’s new action thriller, Unhinged and the Big Screen adaptation of the literary classic, The Secret Garden.
All release dates for films are currently tentatively scheduled and are dependent on governmental regulations on when cinemas can reopen. View the selection of upcoming movies on numetro.co.za and follow @numetro on social media for regular updates.
“See you at the movies in the very near future!” said Chantelle Burrows, Nu Metro Cinemas marketing and content executive.
