Yelm Cinemas to reopen in time for long Labor Day weekend
Yelm Cinemas will reopen their doors Friday for those wishing to see a movie on the big screen.
The theater tried to reopen in June for a couple weeks with showings of old movies, but found there was low attendance.
Starting Friday, Sept. 4, the theater will be showing new releases from “Bill & Ted Face the Music” to “Tenet” over the long Labor Day weekend.
Theaters will be capped at 25 percent capacity and masks will be required. In the event a moviegoer shows up without one, General Manager Noah Aden said they will be provided with one.
“Every employee before their shift is asked about symptoms. They can’t work if they have any symptoms of COVID,” Aden says. “If a customer turns out to have it or if an employee turns out to have it and we find out later, we will absolutely cooperate with contact tracing and anything that the health department needs.”
Yelm Cinemas joins other larger chains that have reopened in recent weeks — Regal Martin Village in Lacey and Century Olympia in the Capital Mall opened Aug. 21 — though they stand out being an independently owned operation. The cineplex will use just five of its eight screens and it doesn’t expect large crowds, at least at first.
“As far as numbers, we’re not expecting big numbers for maybe the first three weekends that we’re open. We knew that going in, that people may be hesitant to come back,” Aden said. “It really is to just give the community something to do on the weekends.
“The goal is to just give people a break from staying home or, with school starting soon, maybe a break from school.”
The theater will have to compete against a growing library of streaming entertainment such as the new “Mulan” which is being released exclusively on Disney+. Despite that, Aden thinks Yelm Cinemas has something streaming just can’t match.
“One thing that I think is really special is the theater experience,” Aden said. “Just being inside the theater is exciting to a lot of people. Big sound, recliners, big screen — it is just that experience that gives movie theaters the edge over sitting at home.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Yelm Cinemas to reopen in time for long Labor Day weekend."
