Everything that cinema can do is called up. Light spectacle on the screen and on the sides of the hall, dramatic music sets in, basses are thumping: a melody mix of “Titanic”, “Psycho”, “Mission impossible” and other successful films. And: There are people there, at least media representatives, here in the Arri cinema in Munich’s Maxvorstadt.
Judith Gerlach sinks into the massive expanse of the leather armchair. The Bavarian digital minister from the CSU – also “cinema minister and cinema fan”, as she says – invites you to the press conference for the “restart” of cinemas in the Free State on July 1st. A real restart after the movie theaters have only opened in some places and rarely with full power, although they were allowed to. And Gerlach has a message with it: As far as your company knows, not a single cinema in Bavaria has had to close forever due to Corona (possibly for other reasons). The main reason for this is the extensive support from the state government.
The question of the bankruptcies is not out of thin air: The lockdown policy has shaken the cinema industry – almost 300 venues in the state. The intermittent boom in drive-in cinemas, in which many classic operators were involved, could do little to achieve this. In principle, Bavaria’s cinemas were able to sell tickets again as early as May – on the one hand, this turned out to be problematic for small businesses, given the distances involved, such a mini-hall is quickly full. The back and forth with the incidences also made some hesitate – starting everything up and then having to close it again seemed too risky. And for others, the surprising perspective that Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) showed at the time was set too hastily – the company was still in a twilight sleep, so to speak.
In coordination with several cinema associations, however, most of the cinemas now want to resume operations as one. Also because numerous films are being released nationwide. In the meantime, there is even talk of a “film jam”, while there was little filming in 2020 and, above all, there were no series of starts.
“I am happy that it is starting again and that we are getting a bit of joie de vivre back”, says Gerlach. She speaks of the “goosebumps feeling” in the cinema – unlike the “small devices that we carry around all day”. She will often speak of “feeling”. She had already experienced this in her very first movie, says the 35-year-old: “The Lion King”, where she “felt the African savannah” and cheered as a child when Mufasa fell into the gorge and Simba set off on her way . “Cinema is emotion,” says Gerlach – and exudes the latter with verve. A Minister on Mission Emotion, an atmospheric start-up aid for the industry.
As a concrete start-up aid, the hygiene concepts were also relaxed. The rules stipulate that food and drinks can be sold again and consumed in the hall, as Gerlach explains in the Arri – while popcorn is bottled one floor below, for her photo session later. The entertainment in cinemas should not only please guests, but also help the operator – the “extra sale” is considered extremely important.
The rules also provide for an increase in the maximum number of guests for open-air cinema. A mark of 1500 applies here, mainly as permanent seats and analogous to other cultural and sporting events. In closed halls, the approval applies as before, depending on the room size. In addition, operators must ensure fresh air ventilation and contact tracking in the event of a confirmed corona infection. Testing is only compulsory if the incidence is over 50 in the district.
With government aid, “we have succeeded in getting Bavarian cinemas through these difficult times,” says Gerlach. Since the beginning of the pandemic, her ministry has paid out aid amounting to 14.9 million euros. In addition, the program bonuses, which are also available elsewhere and which are vital for small cinemas in particular, have been increased and brought forward. There were other smaller pots.
Whether the people will actually flock to the cinemas in large numbers remains to be seen. If you ask around in the scene, many do not expect “the big start”, despite expected box office hits like the new Eberhofer thriller – because of the summer weather, but also a certain “shyness” of the guests. “Under the conditions it is harder to switch off and immerse yourself in other worlds, that is not for everyone,” one hears. And the younger generation in particular could have come to terms with streaming services at home and no longer feel such a great need for cinema.
When asked about the concern, Gerlach again fulfills her mission Emotion. “If cinema were just watching movies, yes,” she says. But cinema is much more – “a shared experience”, people know and appreciate that and now want to enjoy it again. They knew that cinema could be “felt”. Just: “Feeling”.