by Sophia Ridder, reporter
OMAHA – While Movie Theatres across the country have mostly reopened, low attendance and lack of new releases is signaling that people aren’t quite ready to return.
“I think it’s good to make the choice to not go right now. To sort of let our money speak. I think staying as safe as possible is much more important,” said Casey Winters.
Casey Winters, the cohost of the podcast “Hello from Elsewhere,” believes that the community aspect of movie theatres is what will be their saving grace.
“Yeah, it’s great to see the big movies, with the big screens, with the sound and all the technological aspects. But I think that so much of going to the movies is a communal experience, like a shared dream, and people are missing out on that,” Casey said.
Film Streams is a nonprofit movie theatre here in Omaha. They rely on doners as well as box office income to stay open. Some analysts are thinking nonprofits may be the future of cinema.
“The nonprofit world, the nonprofit cinema world is doing very well. So that’s some good news for us, and hopefully good news for moviegoers if we can keep it going,” said Patrick Kinney, the communications director at Film Streams.
Film Streams aims to be a place for films to be consumed and discussed. They offer presentations, and planned discussions as well as a café for moviegoers to gather after the picture.
“They enjoy just the staff. It’s really it’s a community feel, it’s like friends getting together,” Kinney said.
Like many movie theatre enthusiasts, the day when seats are once again packed is keeping him going.
“And we can just see all of these great movies, in a very celebratory experience, together,” Kinney said.
Film streams is still closed because of COVID-19. They are offering private screenings, and streaming discussions online to keep the community engaged.
