The marquee is lit, the popcorn is warm, the previews are rolling, and the Clarion Movie Theater is back open with a new movie. After being largely closed since mid-March, the business is encouraging people to come back to the movies. Making the proposition even more enticing is the fact that the theater recently premiered the new blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984.”
When COVID became a big concern in Iowa in March, the Clarion theater board and management made the difficult decision to close. Soon, due to state restrictions, theaters were mandated to stay closed.
Eventually, the local theater began offering concessions in a drive-thru fashion. Thanks to some good sales there and the generosity of folks who also donated, the theater was able to see some income. Manager LeAnn Johnson stressed, “We got a lot of support from the community with the concession sales. We often got the same people over and over.”
Over the next months, when Iowa theaters were able to reopen, the local theater tried a few things. In June, they showed a new movie, “The High Note” and were hoping to reopen. However, Johnson explains that due to low attendance, they decided to remain closed except for concession sales. They also showed a few Halloween classic films in late October, but still did not decide to open on a weekly basis.
The decision to open had to be weighed carefully. Getting movies that the public would actually want to come out to see during these times was tough. Many studios have pushed back their big movies. And small theaters like Clarion have to consider costs. Just getting the film in town is a hefty expense, not to mention the portion of ticket sales the studios demand. It costs money to run and maintain a projector. The needed cleaning supplies and other safety equipment adds up. There was also the human factor to consider. Johnson noted that some of the volunteers who work at the shows were hesitant to come back too soon.
However, in the last few months, Johnson says they got a little extra help in the form of a state grant. According to Iowa Economic Development’s website, “The Iowa Movie Theatre Relief Grant is an extension of the Iowa Small Business Relief Grant Program. It provides short-term relief to movie theatres for the purpose of resuming business operations in the context of a public health emergency and to assist entities to accelerate and restore economic activity amid the current COVID-19 public health emergency.” Johnson added that the theater was awarded $10,000 through the grant that could be used for any costs incurred after March 1.
And in the last month, the Clarion theater got another fortunate opportunity: the chance to premiere a major Hollywood movie, “Wonder Woman 1984.” Theater Board President Jon Ahrendsen said, “It really was groundbreaking to get this. The movie studios have been holding back new big movies. We decided that if we could open this, we could hopefully break even.” Johnson echoed that. “We said that if we could get a new movie, we would try it.”
Even as they were excited to open, the theater still carefully considered safety protocols for showing movies. Missy Hansen, theater board secretary, explained, “The theater board members with LeAnn's help spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best ways to allow people to come safely to the movies.”
To accomplish that, the theater took several steps. They created seating sections where just four people can sit together. Masks are required in the lobby and in the theater when not eating snacks. The theater, lobby and restrooms are deep cleaned after every showing. The board also made the decision to install an iWave-C Air Purifier. Johnson says that this filters and cleans the air in the theater.
The board is satisfied with their safety measures. Ahrendsen said, “We feel like these are reasonable steps that can be affective.” Johnson added that people have been doing a good job complying with the new rules so far. She and the board members are hopeful that people will enjoy coming back to the theater and still feel safe.
The theater plans to show “Wonder Woman 1984” at least one more weekend, perhaps more. The movie shows Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at 7 p.m. After this movie, Johnson says they will have to wait and see what happens with future movies. For now, they are excited to see people come back through the doors.
Hansen said, “I am so pleased we are able to reopen the theater especially over the holidays! I had many people asking about it in the past month since the bigger theaters have reopened. We are so glad to help people start to get a little normalcy back into their lives.”
