Is this the year that theaters die?

[ccs]

I mean, we have half a million dead in the US largely because folks absolutely refuse to change their mindsets, so... no, you won't see a change long term I think.

And, there's a strong argument that you shouldn't reorganize all of normal life for lower capacities and greater distances. Such measures are not needed 99% of the time, so constant preparation in this way is extremely costly for no gain, and questionable effectiveness.

I say questionable effectiveness, because our most recent surges, the worst case loads seen in the year, weren't driven by large entertainment venues. They driven by people visiting family and friends for holidays.

And that is NEVER going to change. People will not largely abandon seeing their families. Especially in times of crisis. Even if doing so is the logical course of action.

 

[Wishbone]

Since the ages-old rule that prohibited studios from buying cinema chains was removed during the last administration, I'm not worried.

There will be theatres, though possibly fewer of them And it won't be AMC or Cinemark theatres, it will be Disney and Netflix theatres.

Well, it removed the eight defendants named at the time from purchasing chains—Amazon Studios, Walt Disney Studios, and Netflix were arguably never subject to the ruling. Though you're right journalists have talked about the possibility of theater chains being snapped up by Amazon or Netflix.

 

[Blue Orange]

While it's generally true that people aren't likely to go long-distance for everything after the pandemic is defeated, I do think you will see a shift towards more long-distance work and the like, which is likely to have knock-on effects (I wouldn't like to be a Manhattan real-estate company about now), many of which we can't predict. Not everyone is going to avoid being crowded, but I wouldn't be too surprised if, say, high-density events like concerts never bounce back completely. After all, you never know when the next plague is coming.

 

[Morrus]

And that is NEVER going to change. People will not largely abandon seeing their families. Especially in times of crisis. Even if doing so is the logical course of action.

Some will. I know plenty of people, including myself, who haven’t seen their families or friends or been to a shop or event for a full year now. There are always some, and we’re not talking tiny outliers.

 

[Blue Orange]

Some will. I know plenty of people, including myself, who haven’t seen their families or friends or been to a shop or event for a full year now. There are always some, and we’re not talking tiny outliers.

Don't know if I want to 'like' that, but thank you for being responsible and helping to control this deadly virus.

 

[Ryujin]

While it's generally true that people aren't likely to go long-distance for everything after the pandemic is defeated, I do think you will see a shift towards more long-distance work and the like, which is likely to have knock-on effects (I wouldn't like to be a Manhattan real-estate company about now), many of which we can't predict. Not everyone is going to avoid being crowded, but I wouldn't be too surprised if, say, high-density events like concerts never bounce back completely. After all, you never know when the next plague is coming.

I fully expect that offices in downtown Toronto will continue at relatively low occupancy well after everything is largely sorted. Even I, who do hands-on technical work, will be doing at least one day a week as work-from-home. Right now I'm going in for one day a week, every two weeks, with one other co-worker in my group. We alternate each week who goes in to give on-site availability, twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays.

On the upside, we may be able to acquire more buildings, closer to campus, and divest ourselves of some of the outlying ridiculously far buildings in which we rent space, and consolidate better with the partial exodus from downtown. Maybe it will also result in a reduction in the preposterous cost of housing in Toronto, as so many people have learnt they can work from half a Province away without any real issues.