Ontario cinemas are breathing a bit easier after the province announced plans to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions and open movie theatres, but with a continued ban on concession sales, revenue is still in jeopardy.

On Thursday Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced businesses including cinemas can reopen on Jan. 31 at 50% capacity, after they were ordered to close once again early this month to stem transmission of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variant. The closures forced Cineplex, Canada’s largest film exhibitor, to temporarily lay off nearly 5,000 staff in the province where it operates 67 locations. Landmark Cinemas said it was also forced to lay off hundreds of part-time employees as a result of the closures in the province.

Capacity limits on cinemas and several other indoor public settings will be increased to 100% on Feb. 21.

Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of Cineplex, says the company is “thrilled to finally be able to open” its doors in Ontario but would like to see patrons also be able to consume food and drinks, which is still prohibited in cinemas under the current guidelines.

“Our theatre teams have proven again and again that we can safely operate during the pandemic and we look forward to welcoming our guests back to the big screen on Jan. 31,” said Jacob in a statement. “Popcorn and the movies go hand-in-hand so the continued restrictions on food and beverage sales at our theatres is disappointing.”

Film exhibitors have expressed frustration that cinemas have faced much tougher restrictions during the pandemic than many other industries, such as restaurants and malls, with no scientific evidence or data to justify the closures. Under the eased restrictions later this month, restaurants and bars will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity and serve food and drinks. For many indie theatres, it’s difficult to operate at 50% capacity without concession sales, which are crucial to their business.

“As much as we would like to react as positively as the Ontario government, there is no basis in science or evidence that justifies prohibiting food and beverage service in cinemas while allowing it to happen in the restaurants and bars next door,” Nuria Bronfman, executive director of the Movie Theatre Association of Canada (MTAC), tells Playback Daily. “All this has done is disentitle small and independent cinemas from accessing lockdown relief and other support programs while transforming them into non-profit businesses.”

The MTAC, which represents the interests of exhibitors behind more than 3,000 movie screens nation-wide, has shown the Ontario government several scientific studies and data conducted by third parties that supports the continued opening of cinemas without restrictions, including the sale of food and beverage.

“But it doesn’t seem to factor into their decision making,” adds Bronfman. “As we have said throughout the pandemic, there are no reported cases of transmission in any cinema anywhere, not only in Canada but around the world. In Ontario and elsewhere, we already have capacity restrictions, masks and vaccine passports, but the industry continues to be saddled with additional restrictions that governments cannot reasonably justify or compensate for.”

Cinemas in Quebec were ordered to close last month due to surging COVID-19 cases. Cinémas Guzzo, the largest chain of independent movie theatres in the province, had to issue 600 temporary layoffs. Several other provinces, including British Columbia and Alberta, have cinemas operating at 50% capacity.

Ontario and Quebec have the most theatres per capita and are the provinces where the MTAC does most of its business. Ontario has the bulk of the theatres in the country and accounts for the majority of the box-office results in Canada. The closures have forced some Canadian distributors to adjust or delay film release schedules of homegrown projects.

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