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As a film chain whose business style is based on serving food and beverage movies, Studio Movie Grill can cope with even more demanding situations than the rest of the exhibition industry.
But Dallas-based Studio Movie Grill still offers snacks and food in the auditoriums and theater halls at the chain’s nine newly opened institutions. With the concept of “grill” at the forefront of its brand, the chain takes precautions so that consumers can continue drinking and dining, and to locate new income source resources with personal room rental.
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Studio Movie Grill began reopening sites in Georgia, Florida and Texas in June due to 50% of its capacity, all states that experienced a buildup of coronavirus cases during the summer. Staff will need to go through a fitness check before starting their shift and wearing a mask and other protective equipment.
“The bar stools are absolutely removed for now, in the domain directly on the bar to make some social distance,” explains Tonya Mangels, marketing manager. “We have very giant spacious lounges with giant standing seats and bar seats. The spaces in the screen booths are socially away from all other kiosks” closed “at this time, with symptoms of fitness and protection as such”.
Moviegoers can still order an Alright, Alright, Alright Old Fashioned with Matthew McConaughey’s Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon; however, they are asked to wear a mask when they are not drinking cocktails or eating snacks in the theater, and they also use them in bathrooms and lobbies.
With the COVID-19 pandemic in its fifth month, the American film in total is operating at less than 20% of its capacity.
The 3 largest networks, AMC, Regal and Cinemark with just 1,500 locations, announced their reopening from mid-to-last August. Theaters in Los Angeles, New York and many other locations have not yet earned an approved reopening date through their fitness services.
Smaller chains are facing numerous challenges, from the recent Universal VOD announcement to customers reluctant to return to movie theaters while COVID-19 numbers are still high, though starting to decline in some areas.
Seven of Studio Movie Grill’s enclosed places are in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom has said nothing about lifting the film ban.
Founder and CEO Brian Schultz told Variety that Golden State consumers are aware of the risks: “Our California visitors remain the ones with the utmost voice on protecting them from returning to Studio Movie with our protocols,” he added.
But Schultz is confident that the business is recovering and said sales were expanding from 3% to 5% a week. The network has noticed the false returns offered by renting its auditorium, which can accommodate dozens of consumers at once, for $200.
“Like our guests, we were extremely happy to return to the cinema safely,” he added. “Our option to hire personal auditoriums has given our consumers the opportunity to return to the big screen in a way that fits them.”
Schultz said the private bookings have been “wildly successful.”
Several people at Studio Movie Grill told Variety that the staff took care to stick to security protocols. Olivia Zehmer of Twelve and Associates, a Georgia-based chimney protection appliance company, said she was extremely happy with a recent business outing with approximately 40 workers and a circle of family members present.
“I’m the organizer of those occasions in society and we went to a Braves game or a bowling alley, but that wouldn’t be possible,” he said. ‘We choose’s Ready Player One’ as anything families can see. People are eager to get out and for many of us, it was the first time we noticed an occasion since the start of the pandemic.
Cody and Teresa Dolan said they would throw a birthday party for their 12-year-old daughter at the Houston Studio Movie Grill and on the “Spider Man: Away from Home” screen.
“We have to be incredibly careful because of our daughter’s fitness and we were very aware of following fitness protocols with masks, gloves and social distance,” she said. “Everyone had a smart time. The young people were very grateful to see their friends and the adults were happy to leave the house.”
The Dolans were so satisfied that they arranged an outing for their daughter, 4 of her friends and 4 teachers.
Mangels said Dave Franco’s horror film “Rental” was the most productive performance last week. The IFC edition can also be obtained on request.
“The new content of small sellers continues to attract the public to pre-pandemic degrees and the request is obviously indicated when we have new content,” he added. “This week we took a look at the opening of ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ with Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson, and ‘Black Water Abyss’.”
Studio Movie Grill currently has six theaters open in Texas and plans to reopen soon at outlets in Arlington and Plano, as well as in Duluth, Georgia.
According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore, the high-end channel offers to delight distinguishes it from other cinemas.
“Studio Movie Grill is agile, cutting-edge and passionate about videos and cinematic wonder and COVID-19, those are applicable attributes,” he said.
Dergarabedian says he is thinking about the long term of video streaming in theaters that create an arranged environment with a “high-end feeling”, and at a time when more and more titles are released at home, this is the kind of delight in That Movie Grill hopes to continue. to attract the moviegoers.
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