Like the red armchairs, the cozy atmosphere, the walls filled with posters, popcorn contributes to the creation of this very special atmosphere, intrinsic to dark rooms. However, cinemas are now deprived of one of their characteristics, since the new measures taken by the government to contain the pandemic due to the coronavirus.
Monday, December 27, live on French television and alongside the Minister of Health, Jean Castex unveiled the sentence so apprehended by places of culture. As of January 3, 2022, “consumption of food and drink will be prohibited in all cinemas and theaters“for at least three weeks, declared the Prime Minister. This injunction cuts off part of the operators’ income because, as rightly reminded The Huffington Post citing a CNC survey from 2014, 16% of their turnover comes from the sale of beverages and confectionery.
One in two customers would buy something to taste or drink before a session. Previously, nearby Parisian who called the popcorn “cinema cash machine“, Rod Assous, owner of the independent cinema L’Élysée in Chantilly, detailed:”We only earn 30% on the sale price of cinema tickets. Popcorn is the consolation prize for operators. If it weren’t for the confectionery, a third of cinemas in France would probably close their doors. “
State aid, but the inconvenience remains
Asked by France Blue, Tuesday December 28, Luis Claro, director of the Pathé du Mans, spoke about the loss of his profits: “It should not last a full year, even if, of course, I know that we will be compensated. The economic aspect will be compensated. However, we may wonder if this is what will reduce hospitalizations …“The income from more than satisfactory attendance at theaters in recent weeks, thanks to expected film releases such as Spider-Man: No Way Home Where Matrix: Resurrections, will they help operators to enter this complicated period with less anxiety?