When the motion picture industry felt threatened by the rise of television since the 1950s, movie theaters found ways to attract people with additional benefits.
In his report published by the American "Variety" website, writer Owen Gleiberman said that reviving 3D movies is an annoying fraud, as it is a way to raise ticket prices, and in the event that the films you watch are nothing but a large group of "sharp" and dark images Annoyingly, it doesn't offer the exciting experience it promises to be an audience.
After the rise of 3D films, which were considered a means of attracting customers, huge new seats, the pace of "Lazy Boy", and the introduction of "4DX" technology in some places were replaced by ordinary cinema seats.
However, one of the major improvements in the movie theater experience remained the buying and eating rituals, or entertainment habits associated with visiting the cinema, such as popcorn, soft drinks and crackers.
The popcorn dilemma
Think of the word popcorn, it isn't just a savory and delicious snack. In cinemas, the word popcorn is legendary, classic, appealing, and essential all at once.
In fact, one of the main reasons people go to the movies is eating, as it is more than a cultural habit, it is an entertainment obsession.
So what will happen to all those delicious, greasy and crunchy snacks when people go with masks to the cinema in light of social distancing measures to prevent the Corona virus?
It seems that this is a question that has not really been asked, as it may seem trivial compared to the big surprises the epidemic holds. However, when it comes to how we deal with the reopening of movie theaters, there is a paradox called the "popcorn dilemma".
Although cinemas promise to create the safest environment possible, including imposing people-to-people spacing, cleaning rounds between shows and the necessity to wear masks, you cannot wear a mask when you want to eat.
This apparent fact did not prevent restaurants from reopening slowly and cautiously, as in some places restaurants reopened with the provision of outdoor seating.
However, the cinema is essentially an indoor restaurant that serves many fast food, and with the reopening of theaters, their owners will either have to operate without privileges, at least until the epidemic ends, or accept the fact that customers will not wear masks.
Popcorn profits
The writer explained that cinemas are famous for relying on entertainment means to obtain a large percentage of their revenues, as they earn about 40% of their total profits from sales of popcorn and other snacks provided to movie and theater goers.
In part, he says, he adds that theaters and movie theaters take 85 cents out of every dollar spent on food customers buy with the movies. Without those snacks, profits are negligible.
But since theaters are now struggling to withstand, let's assume that they are prepared in the short term to take the financial blow they took and to restart their work without concessions.
But how does this affect customers? The movie itself is supposed to be the main event, and it still is for many of us, as we can enjoy the movie without the added fun of snacks.
However, even for people who tend to avoid those movie theater meals, the idea of a cinema that does not serve snacks, as well as social distancing and the rest of the coronavirus prevention measures, seems like a miserable version of the movie-watching experience. Indeed, stopping the sale of popcorn and soft drinks will ruin a great deal of the fun.
The writer stated that if we assume that the cinemas allowed the provision of these meals, we will witness an environment in which people do not wear masks, because it is not possible to eat snacks and put on the muzzle at the same time.
Culturally and politically, this does not appear to be possible or safe. Bottom line, it's tough to find a way to serve those snacks in reopened movie theaters.