Showtime in Arnprior: Movie theatres reopen as blockbusters hit the big screen

ARNPRIOR, ONT. -

Under Step 3 of Ontario’s COVID-19 economic reopening plan, the simple joy of going to a movie theatre on a weekend evening has returned.

The only restrictions still in place on movie theatres is a capacity limit of 50 per cent, with a physical distance of two metres separating different groups.

At the O’Brein Theatre in Arnprior that means up to 120 people can be seated in the downstairs theatre and 60 people in the upstairs theatre.

"We’ve been so long closed that everything feels a little strange, but it’s great to be back and finally able to run the actual movies," says day manager Christin Stewart. "We’ve got lots of regulars, lots of people you know by name. They come in every week just to get popcorn, just to support us locally and it’s fantastic to see them in for a movie."

The O’Brien Theatre was last open in March, but with such limited capacity and no new movies being released Stewart says business was slow. But a number of summer blockbusters are bringing crowds back into the seats.

"We’ve got a huge lineup actually," says Stewart. "We’ve got Spirit Untamed, we’ve got Peter Rabbit 2. But our big one this week I think is going to be Fast and Furious 9. It’s the one everyone wants to see."

That is exactly what John Drader and his family drove from Carleton Place to see.

"The O’Brien Theatre is a really nice place to come as opposed to Ottawa," says Drader. "Ottawa is nice too, but as you can see it’s not that crowded here."

It’s a similar story for Gayle and Mike Cunningham. The Arnprior family says they used to go out to the movies once a month. They came out Friday for opening night and say they’ve missed going to the movies so much that they’ve committed to a double feature this weekend.

"Tonight we’re seeing Fast and the Furious 9 and then tomorrow we’re seeing Peter Rabbit 2," says Gayle Cunningham.

"(We’re) definitely watching a lot of movies at home, but yeah it’s nice to get out and just be out in public and support local businesses," says her husband Mike.

While streaming at home has become even more popular over the pandemic, Drader says he is one of the people who still prefer the cinematic experience of heading to the theatre.

"Yeah, the one’s that we’ve missed like the James Bond movies, the new Top Gun movie; once that stuff starts coming out, we’ll go to the movies a lot more."