Category: AUDIENCE

Movie Theaters May Be Reopening In Some States, But Audiences Aren’t Flocking Back

In places such as Georgia (the first state to reopen), Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah, independent cinemas are operating again. (The chains are staying closed for now.) Yet attendance is generally around a quarter of what it would be this time of a normal year. Even so, say owners, it’s important to get used to running with new safety procedures in place before customers start arriving in larger numbers. – Variety

‘Fear Of Jerks’ Is Why New Yorkers Are Nervous About Coming Back To See Live Shows

“A New York Times/Siena College Research Institute poll, administered [last week], sought to gauge how soon New Yorkers would be comfortable attending live performances like Broadway shows. … And for the hesitant, their single greatest concern is their fellow audience members, who they worry will show up without masks or ignore social distancing rules.” – The New York Times

Netflix Has A New, Shockingly Smart Automatic Cancellation Plan

It’s only shocking because it’s against everything about automatic payments and online sign-ups. “The general imperative of any subscription service is to wring a monthly payment out of you from now until the apocalypse. That’s the whole game. It’s why there are entire services and advice columns devoted to helping you cancel. The business model gets an assist from human nature.” – Wired

Well, Here’s One Way To Give A Coronavirus-Safe Live Dance Performance

“On Saturday night, about 35 cars converged at the Santa Monica Airport parking lot. Inside each vehicle, the passengers had 12 pages of instructions: Arrive exactly at 7:50 pm; stay inside your car with the windows rolled up; when you see a flashing light, turn on your headlights; wear a mask. They had come to see PARKED, an invitation-only, drive-in dance performance put on by Jacob Jonas The Company.” – Dance Magazine

Only In France? A Traveling Drive-In Art Film Festival

The Drive-In Festival, conceived by a small group of French movie execs, shows one title a day (“popular director-driven films” rather than “blockbusters or new releases”) for a week, charging €10 for adults and €5 for children, then moves to the next city. The proceeds go to distributors and closed cinemas in each locale; they’re happy, but the national exhibitors’ association is objecting. – Variety

70% Of Audience Would Rather See New Movies At Home Than At A Theater: Study

“The results — from a survey of roughly 1,000 people in mid-May by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research, in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. — point to just how steep a climb the entertainment industry has in front of it to win back public perception that it’s safe to attend, and spend money on, public events again.” – Variety

Dutch Cultural Institutions Start Reopening Process June 1

“With a list of conditions that will leave most venue operators scratching their heads, venues can reopen on the basis that a maximum of 30 people – including staff – are allowed in at any one time and they remain 1.5 meters apart. A reservation system must also be in place, with no walk-in customers admitted. Venue owners must discuss potential risks with visitors before they enter. The maximum number of visitors to cultural institutions will be increased to 100 in the following stage of the plan from 1 July, if the virus is kept ‘under control’.” – IQ Magazine

Germany’s First Post-COVID Classical Concert With An Audience Was On Monday. Here’s How It Went

At the State Theater of Hesse in Wiesbaden, bass Günther Groissböck and pianist Alexandra Goloubitskaia gave a recital of Schubert and Mahler before about 200 people in a 1,000-seat auditorium — with plenty of hand sanitizer around the building and intermission snacks outside the front door. (Thank heaven the weather was good.) The audience, such as it was, “was ecstatic.” – The New York Times