Cinema 4 in Pampa will open their doors to the public after more than a two-month mandated closure.
“Our last show date was March 20 because we were instructed to close March 21,” said co-owner Breanne Schwiegerath.
The theatre started selling their concession snacks after the closure via curbside pick-up and the drive-through located in the parking lot behind the theatre on Friday and Saturday evenings. This service will still be available once the theatre re-opens for those who are still not comfortable going inside.
Schwiegerath says that she and the employees are ready to get back to work and help return a sense of normalcy to the community for the summer months ahead.
“We will be playing Back to the Future, Jaws, Trolls World Tour and Mighty Oak,” said Schwiegerath.
“Trolls World Tour- we were supposed to have played already, but it was sent to video-on-demand. We are actually going to play it anyways because there might be some people who still haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen it in a theatre- and it’s a kid movie.”
Schwiegerath says that movies being sent to video-on-demand has made it challenging to navigate how they will proceed into the summer months, although movie-goers can still expect new titles every week.
“Movie companies are not really releasing any new movies right now. There is a couple that they are putting out there, but they are also putting it on video-on-demand at the same time- so that’s been really difficult.”
“The really big movies that were supposed to be the blockbusters for the summer are not going to be put out until the end of July,” Schwiegerath said.
Although the theatre will be facing their own set of challenges this summer, Schwiegerath says that they are happy to be open because it gives the kids something to do.
“It’s summer time, and we want the kids to have something to do- we want normalcy. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we will have new movies and be back at a higher capacity where we can sell out again.”
“Summer is usually our busiest time of year, so it’s hard and it’s sad. Kids need something to do- the theatre, the water park, Jump N’ Jive and the bowling alley- that’s what we do. We really want to make sure they have that and are able to go enjoy themselves and not think about what’s going on right now.
For now, the theatre is allowed to open with a limited capacity of 25 percent. In order to maintain social distancing standards and to oblige the six-foot rule, certain seats and rows have been taped off. Schwiegerath estimates, depending on which theatre the patron’s movie is playing in, that there are about 25-50 seats that can be occupied.
“We are encouraging people to go read the COVID statement that we posted on our website so that they know what to expect when they come in,” she said.
“We are taking precautions and we are very aware of the safety and the guidelines. The staff is doing everything we need to do to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy.”
The snack bar will be fully operational during show times and the theatre will still be offering pick-up for large bags of popcorn that are priced at $10, cotton candy at $3, pickles at $2, and large drinks and Icees at $4.
“We’re excited to be open, we are excited to see everyone. We have an amazing community. Going through this, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Everyone has been very patient and very kind,” said Schwiegerath.
For more information on what movies will be playing, show times, hours of operation and COVID safety procedures, you can go online to www.cinema4pampa.com.
