As Canadian Theatres Reopen, Confidence in Moviegoing Grows According to New Survey from Landmark Cinemas and Atom Tickets
Spaced-Seating, Mask Wearing, Digital Ticketing Are Critical
Contactless Payment Trend Extends to Movie Theatres
CALGARY, AB and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 28, 2020 /CNW/ – Landmark Cinemas and Atom Tickets announced the results of a new Return to Moviegoing survey that reveals Canadian movie-goers’ positive sentiment regarding the movie-going experience, and new purchase behaviors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey, issued on August 17th by Atom Tickets, received over 2,000 responses from Landmark Cinemas Canadian moviegoers and revealed that 67% are ready to return to theatres within one month, and 42% said they are ready to return to theatres immediately. Only 0.9% of respondents said they never plan to return to theatres, and 20% said they would wait until there is a vaccine for the coronavirus.
When asked to identify the most important safety measure to make Canadians feel confident about going back to a movie theatre, respondents said spaced seating in the theatre auditorium is the most critical safety feature, with 45% saying this was a key condition. The next most critical safety measure noted by moviegoers at 24% is staff and guests wearing masks, while 12% stated lines with social distancing measures. Of note, 75% of moviegoers surveyed said that they plan on wearing a mask even if it is not required by local government legislation.
The use of contactless payment that has surged in the food and retail segments, continues to be top-of-mind for Canadian moviegoers. 91% said that purchasing digital tickets from their own device and eliminating the need to interact with a cashier is an important safety measure. Concessions purchases may also look different in a post-COVID movie-going environment, with moviegoers ordering ahead and picking up their items instead of waiting in lines and being served directly at the concession counter. Of those who have never pre-ordered movie theatre concessions, 60% said they are now likely to try it. Amongst those that have previously preordered their movie snacks, 95% say they would do it again.
“We’re encouraged by the results of this survey and its participants’ positive sentiments regarding movie-going. Our data also showed that eagerness to return to the movies has more to do with how often you went to the movies before the pandemic rather than by age or gender,” said Matthew Bakal, chairman and co-founder of Atom Tickets. “I’m pleased to see the heightened interest in safety measures including pre-ordering tickets and concessions that we are able to facilitate for moviegoers through Atom Ticketing as we know people want to responsibly enjoy the movies together with friends and family.”
The survey also revealed new films will get most Canadian moviegoers to return to the big screen. 49% of those surveyed said they would rather wait for new movies to be released before returning vs. 27% who said they would return to cinemas to see re-releases of classic movies. Also, according to the survey, the 2020 films that moviegoers are most excited to see on the big screen are Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, and James Bond: No Time to Die. For 2021, moviegoers are eagerly anticipating The Eternals, Jurassic World: Dominion and Top Gun: Maverick.
“We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of moviegoers and our employees,” said Bill Walker, CEO Landmark Cinemas, “and the changes we have implemented to the movie-going experience including required physical distancing, contactless payment, and enhanced cleaning are critical to instilling confidence in the movie-going experience. We are now looking forward to the release of new films following the opening of Tenet, which combined with our health and safety measures, will continue to bring Canadians back to the big-screen movie-going experience.”
Movie theatres across Canada have been temporarily closed since March due to COVID-19 and during this time theatres have created and implemented new safety and cleaning policies to instill confidence in moviegoers when they decide to return. Landmark Cinemas has implemented all required local and provincial health and safety policies to provide movie-goers with a safe and enjoyable movie-going experience. Landmark Cinemas asks moviegoers to join them in doing their part to protect members of the community, including cinema employees, by staying home if they are experiencing any symptoms. Moviegoers may review Landmark’s enhanced health and safety policies and preview their movie-going experience at https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/moviesarebettertogether. Atom is making it even easier for moviegoers to feel safe returning to theatres by launching new buffered seating maps and Safety Guidelines on their app and website.
