Moviehouse will wait and see on opening up again

MILLERTON — Beginning Friday, Oct. 23, silver screens across New York State came back to life as Governor Andrew Cuomo declared movie theaters outside of New York City could reopen at 25% capacity or allow up to 50 people in the audience, whichever is less. The Moviehouse on Main Street in Millerton, however, will not be among them.

The beloved independent theater has decided not to reopen just yet. Moviehouse owner and co-founder Carol Sadlon said she is taking the reopening process slowly, and responded to a request for an interview with The Millerton News following Cuomo’s Oct. 17 ruling with the following statement:

“Many of you will have heard the governor’s announcement that movie theaters in New York State may reopen at 25% capacity on Oct. 23 and you may be wondering what this means for The Moviehouse,” she said via email. “We are taking a wait-and-see approach before making any decisions.”

Sadlon acknowledged it’s been difficult during the shutdown and that there is a lot to consider before The Moviehouse can reopen —  though it is continuing to operate virtually, as it has been doing all along during the pandemic. 

“There are many factors that must be taken into account, including the current COVID situation and available films,” she stated. “In the meantime, we encourage you to visit our website, sign up to receive our weekly newsletters and take advantage of the selection of carefully curated films and documentaries available through our virtual cinema at www.themoviehouse.net.”

Cuomo’s guidance for theaters is online at www.governor.ny.gov. They can only open outside the city in counties with no cluster zones and a COVID-19 positivity rate of less than 2% on a 14-day average. In moving forward with their respective reopening plans, movie theaters will be subject to following state rules and rigorous enforcement.

“Theaters have been deemed non-essential for more than seven months,” Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said following Cuomo’s decision. “The reality is, all businesses are essential; essential to the people they employ, to the communities supported by their tax revenues and to the owners and operators that live in and invest in our communities. We’ve said for months theaters could mitigate the risk and re-open safely as they have in surrounding states without incident.”

Molinaro had been hoping for such a decision from Albany and was grateful the governor finally made the move. 

“The film industry is a significant contributor to our national and local economy,” said Molinaro. “Theaters are more than just a venue. Behind them are thousands of jobs in New York alone, from actors and artists to writers and production crews. They are part of our American culture that need protection, and our support.”

Having waited patiently for guidance since COVID slammed the Empire State and Cuomo’s New York State on PAUSE Executive Order shut down businesses in March, movie theater owners rejoiced in finally being allowed to reopen. 

At the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Cineworld, parent company of Regal Cinemas, resumed operations of its multiplex movie theater on Friday, Oct. 23. It’s one of the more popular theaters in the county. Ten other Regal locations opened across the state that same day.

“We are grateful to finally have initial guidelines from the state,” Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, said in press release sent out Thursday, Oct. 22. “With the implementation of robust health and safety measures… our New York theatres and staff are thoroughly prepared for a safe and sustainable reopening. After seven months, we are thrilled to welcome back our beloved staff and customers.”

The Galleria has enforced mandatory mask wearing and social distancing and is cleaning individual seats thoroughly between shows. Also, two empty seats will be placed between each party on either side within the theaters. Guests are encouraged to reserve and prepay for their tickets.