- The cinemas will reopen all over France on June 22.
- Mask, plexiglass, hydroalcoholic gel ... The operators are ready to welcome the public.
- The postponement of the release of American blockbusters could be an opportunity for French and European cinema.
Good news for some 2,000 French cinemas! The dark rooms will be able to accommodate the spectators on all the territory from June 22, announced Edouard Philippe this Thursday. "The cinema operators themselves wanted the reopening to be national so that they could organize the programming of theaters," said the Prime Minister, while certain deconfinement measures are differentiated between the green zones and the orange zones of the territory.
This announcement is a joy for French operators. "After more than three months of cinema closings, the French will be able to rediscover the joy of the cinema experience on the big screen, and cinemas will have the pleasure of welcoming them again," rejoiced the president of National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF), Richard Patry.
“The profession had asked the government to be notified four weeks in advance so that distributors and programmers can put the films in theaters. The four weeks are respected ", congratulates for his part, Claude-Éric Poiroux, director general of Europa Cinemas (organization supporting the distribution and exhibition of European cinema) and operator of arthouse cinema Les 400 Blows at Angers.
Safety will be the golden rule in theaters
The precise health conditions for this reopening have not yet been announced by the government. “The sanitary conditions which will be imposed on us are under discussion. We will know them in the coming days, ”explains Claude-Éric Poiroux at 20 Minutes and who feels“ a little less pessimistic ”following those imposed on bars and restaurants.
Hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance of the halls, masks available to spectators, disinfection of the halls between sessions, floor marking or Plexiglas at the level of the boxes… The operators have already anticipated the return to the halls of the public. At 400 strokes, everything is already installed. “We will do everything to make the rooms desirable and reassuring. The operators will make sure that the spectators are as safe as possible so that they feel comfortable. This will be the golden rule for the entire profession on June 22, ”explains Claude-Éric Poiroux.
Outstanding questions remain. Wearing a mandatory mask in theaters would prohibit the sale of popcorn and other confectionery, a significant source of income for exhibitors. Another crucial point, the distance between two spectators: "An armchair measures 50 to 70 cm, so if you want to space people one meter, you must leave two free places on the right and two on the left", worries l operator.
A resumption of films already in theaters on March 14
"We will try, as much as possible, to resume films that have not made their career in theaters because it was brutally interrupted on March 14," says the expert, who quotes for example The Good Wife , worn by Juliette Binoche or De Gaulle , with Lambert Wilson and Isabelle Carré.
The summer of 2020 will not be that of American blockbusters, the release of a large majority of them has been postponed indefinitely. "There are two that appear on July 22, Mulan (the adaptation of the classic Disney in real shots) and Tenet , the new Christopher Nolan", lists the boss of the 400 shots.
An opportunity for French and European cinema
A window that could benefit French and European productions. “There is an opportunity to be seized for French cinema and European cinema. It would be wrong not to take advantage of this window, but we have to get them out quickly enough, ”said the operator.
The films available for theatrical release are legion. "In sixteen weeks, there were more than 200 films scheduled which did not come out," recalls Claude-Éric Poiroux. The question is how these films will be distributed between summer and back to school: "Some distributors may not want to wipe the plasters in July, but to wait is to take the risk of harder competition … The release of the new James Bond has been postponed, ”warns the expert. Among these nuggets awaiting their release date, the selection of the Berlinale "like Ondine by Christian Petzold".
June 22 will welcome the release of the Filles de joie , worn by Sara Forestier, Noémie Lvovsky and Annabelle Lengronne, L'Ombre de Staline with James Norton, Kongo by Hadrien La Vapeur and Corto Vaclav, Canción sin nombre by Melina Leon, Nous, the dogs of Sung-yoon Oh and Lee Choonbaek or Be Natural , the documentary on Alice Guy. Feature films that should have been released during confinement.
The French film Jeunesse sauvage by Frédéric Carpentier, Benni by Nora Fingscheidt, Voyage en Kabylie by Hace Mess & Mathieu Tuffreau and no less than six Swedish feature films by Bo Widerberg are already expected to hit theaters on June 24 . Heritage films will also be showing such as The Red Lips with Delphine Seyrig or the restored version of a David Lynch masterpiece, Elephant Man .
Cannes Film Festival missing
The fact remains that these auteur films will not benefit this year from the “wonderful showcases” that are the festivals, and in particular that of Cannes. “This is where films really take on a dimension. There will be a lack of visibility that will have to be compensated, ”considers Claude-Éric Poiroux.
"Our closure, the cessation of distributors' work, and the disappearance of major festivals. These are serious conditions for the notoriety and visibility of the films, ”deplores the exhibitor. He added that We Are One, the global festival of online cinema, for lack of anything better, started this Friday: “It's good that Thierry Frémaux has announced his selection. It is important. But we will never have the result we would have had in the classroom ”
"Rooms with real difficulties to reopen"
“We have lost a lot of money. Fortunately, there has been partial unemployment in France, ”said the expert. And to continue: "The situation for the self-employed will be delicate". While the German government has granted art theaters 10,000 euros per screen, in France there has been no "direct support".
“We are awaiting responses from the CNC, the ministries of finance and culture. There was an answer which was to say that part of the support fund could be devoted to cash, but most of the time, the support fund was already committed because it allows us to reinvest, "explains the operator.
The future of exhibitors, and in particular independent exhibitors, is still uncertain ... "In the Europa Cinemas network, there will be theaters with real difficulties in reopening, as in small businesses," he concludes. So on June 22, #OnIraTousAuCinema!
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