Plaza 9 to roll on Christmas Day
T-R PHOTOS BY JOE FISHER — Plaza 9 employee Alexander Pruitt wipes down the concession counter to help mitigate COVID-19 spread. The theater employees also wipe down seats between showings and spray the entire auditoriums with disinfectant at the end of the day.
The Plaza 9 Theatre has certain seats caution taped so customers and ushers can appropriately social distance while at the movies. Nobody is allowed to sit in aisle seats so there is extra space as people walk the aisle.
T-R PHOTOS BY JOE FISHER — Plaza 9 employee Alexander Pruitt wipes down the concession counter to help mitigate COVID-19 spread. The theater employees also wipe down seats between showings and spray the entire auditoriums with disinfectant at the end of the day.
The Plaza 9 Theatre has certain seats caution taped so customers and ushers can appropriately social distance while at the movies. Nobody is allowed to sit in aisle seats so there is extra space as people walk the aisle.
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Big budget releases were moved and the only disaster movie to create a buzz this year was real life but the show must go on for Plaza 9 Theatres.
The Fridley Theatres location, 2500 S. Center Street, will have five films playing on Christmas Day, hoping to capture some magic with holiday movie goers.
Christmas week is often a big one for theatres leading up to a slower season late in the winter. Last year, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" grossed $32 million domestically on Christmas Day alone. But this year with the COVID-19 pandemic making some cinephiles hesitant to go out to the theater, the films are underperforming at the box office and studios like Warner Bros are shifting to digital releases. WB announced last week it would release its 2021 slate in theaters and on the streaming service HBO Max simultaneously. The schedule includes films like "Dune," "The Suicide Squad" and "The Matrix 4." The first big release to follow this model is "Wonder Woman 1984," which opened Dec. 16 and will debut on HBO Max Dec. 25.
"I've talked to a lot of people that want to see that in theaters," said Karen Albert, general manager at Plaza 9 Theatres. "Even with WB putting the product on streaming, the directors made these movies specifically for theatrical presentation. We have 7.1 surround sound in our biggest auditorium. For the most part they're not going to get that big huge screen and big sound at home."
Top directors like Christopher Nolan and "Dune" director Denis Villanueve have voiced criticism of studios not sticking to a traditional theatrical release format.
"Wonder Woman 1984" has four showings at Plaza 9 on Friday, starting at 3 p.m. The sequel to 2017's blockbuster superhero flick was scheduled to release on Oct. 2 before it was pushed back. There were questions whether it would release in 2020 at all.
"We're just excited that it's actually coming out on Christmas," Albert said. "For a while every 15 minutes the movie schedules were changing. Some of the trailers on movies now -- the dates are all wonky. Some companies are not making new trailers for new products."
Tom Hanks' new film "News of the World" also opens on Christmas with its first showing at 3:20 p.m. The film is helmed by Paul Greengrass who previously directed Hanks in "Captain Phillips."
The theater is limiting its operating hours and not showing any 9 p.m. start times. Albert said extra time is being allowed between showings so audiences can safely come in and out of the auditoriums and staff has time to sanitize the seating areas.
"We have to make people feel comfortable. I would fail if one person came here and felt we didn't mitigate right and felt unsafe," Albert said.
The theater has a mask policy in place requiring customers older than the age 1 to wear a mask when in the lobby, hallways or bathrooms. Ushers assist customers to their seats so everyone is socially distanced and theater capacity is limited.
Albert said she understands some people still aren't ready to watch a movie in the theater.
"When we first started to get a little bit busier -- I always ask customers if they are comfortable -- one guy got in there and he wasn't feeling comfortable," she said. "He got a refund. We have to think about those things. We want to keep people safe and really just have a good time back at the movies again."
To adjust to uncertain times and the tight budgets of its customers, Plaza 9 has changed its pricing scheme which will stay in place through 2021. Showings are broken down into three tiers:
Theater exclusives: $8 adults, $6 children
Films released digitally and in theater: $7 adults, $5 children
Rereleased classic movies:$5 adults, $3 children
The theater is still doing bargain Tuesdays where all movies are $5. Matinee prices are also reduced.
Rereleased classics have been a surprise boon for the theater industry this year. The 1993 film "Hocus Pocus" spent several weeks among the top of the box office, even reaching first place when it returned to theaters this fall. Albert hopes to see "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" have a similar impact.
"We've even had 'The Wizard of Oz.' To have that back in theaters was surreal," Albert said. "We brought 'Grease' back. Customers were in there singing and dancing and reliving their teenage years."
For those still not feeling comfortable going to the theater, or who prefer to watch a movie at home, Plaza 9 is providing curbside service for anyone who still needs buttery theater popcorn and other snacks.
"We have those crazy tubs where if you squeeze them the top pops off. I remember taking one of those tubs out after we started the curbside program," Albert said. "The lady squeezed the tub and the top popped off and she started crying. She just needed that normalcy for a moment. That stupid lid brought back a great memory."
The theater will be open from noon-4 p.m. on Christmas Eve for a gift card sale.
PLAZA 9 THEATRE
For more information on Plaza 9 Theatre including ticket prices and showtimes visit www.facebook.com/plaza9theatre or www.fridleytheatres.com/location/7426/Plaza-9-Showtimes
Contact Joe Fisher at 641-753-6611 or jfisher@timesrepublican.com