RAVENNA, Ohio — This past year has been the year of streaming, for sure, but with the pandemic seemingly coming to an end in the near future, movie theaters are ready to make a comeback.
"We're very excited to get people back in the theaters," Jeff Davis, director of theater operations for Neighborhood Development Services, said. "It's been 14 long months for us, for the staff in particular."
NDS owns the Ravenna 7 and Lake 8 theaters in Ravenna and Barberton, respectively. They're back open for the first time, and even more excited about the changes coming next month.
"Come June 2, we'll be looking to the CDC for guidance on how to move forward, and definitely things will be relaxed," Davis said. "Today, I'm not 100% sure what that looks like, because even in the last 24 hours things have changed."
Here in Ohio, theaters have been allowed to open, but haven't benefited from much business, hurt by reduced capacities and guests fearful of being crammed together for long periods of time. This has forced many production houses to send movies to streaming services in an effort to bring in some revenue, a practice theater operators expect will change next year.
"The movie experience is totally different," Davis told us. "Coming into the theater, you're a part of it, you're immersed in it. You're not distracted by things at home where you'll get up and move around."
Movie-goer Jeremiah agrees, declaring he's willing to go to theaters even when they're packed again.
"It would be weird, at first, but movie theaters are my favorite thing," he said. "I want movies to succeed and I'm tired of movies going to streaming all the time."
Atlas Cinemas owner Gabriel Saluan says he will give staff and guests a choice on wearing a mask come June 2, and is looking forward to more people in the theaters. Davis says a decision for his locations will come at a later time.
"We're taking the precautions and we'll continue to take the precautions even after the June 2 date to ensure that everyone is safe and comfortable coming back to the movies," he promised.