Recently, we talked about how a number of movie theaters in Texas were set to reopen due to the Governor’s relaxing of certain restrictions against non-essential businesses. We detailed what risks were involved and what the theaters were doing to make it as safe as possible for film fans to come back to the big screen. And apparently, though it would seem that many people are still wary of running back to cinemas, there were plenty of Texans willing to go to Santikos Entertainment theaters right as they reopened.
According to THR, three San Antonio-area theaters run by Santikos Entertainment opened over the weekend and sold just under 3,000 tickets during its reopening. The numbers are based on the average ticket price of the three locations and the total grosses of just about $16,000 over the three-day period.
Films being shown at those three locations include “Trolls World Tour,” “Bloodshot,” “I Still Believe,” “The Hunt,” and “Bad Boys for Life.” At this point, it’s unclear which films drew the most business, but each of the three locations is offering discounted tickets around the $5 mark for customers willing to come back.
While a total gross of just under $16,000 from the three locations isn’t anything earth-shattering, the fact that just under 3,000 people returned to the San Antonio theaters in their first weekend of opening is pretty surprising for many and a sign that maybe people are willing to venture back into theaters sooner than industry analysts have been predicting.
Now, in terms of using these numbers to somehow forecast the future of theaters nationwide is silly, as these numbers are clearly anecdotal. So, don’t go expecting all the major cinema chains to rush open to take advantage of customer’s (perceived) desire to go back to the movie theaters. The plan still is to wait until June or July to reopen, with the first major release scheduled to be Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet.”
That being said, the numbers from Santikos Entertainment in San Antonio are intriguing and worth keeping an eye on. If people are this willing to risk their health to watch films they can see at home, especially films like “Bloodshot,” “The Hunt,” and “Trolls World Tour,” then who knows? Maybe people are actually willing to do just about anything to see films on the big screen.