Bleak Outlook for Movie Theaters

As Christopher Nolan’s big-budget thriller “Tenet” is making its debut on the big screen this weekend, American movie theaters are hoping for a hint of normalcy to return after the COVID-19 pandemic obliterated their business for the better part of the past six months. While more and more theaters are reopening, people aren’t exactly rushing the doors as worries over possible infection risks appear to outweigh the appetite for some big screen entertainment.

According to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult, Americans seem less comfortable to return to cinemas than theater owners would hope. Less than 3 in 10 U.S. adults would feel comfortable going to the movies in September, with the outlook for the remainder of the year only marginally brighter. With that in mind, even fewer Americans (18 percent) consider it likely that they’ll go to a movie theater this month, with 23 percent expecting to hit the cinema sometime this year.