This evening we witnessed an unprecedented event in the history of movie going, as every movie theatre in the United States (likely most of the world) closed indefinitely.
On hearing the news that the last few holdouts had fallen in line with national guidelines, I attempted to find a point of comparison, some similar period of long-term hiatus. However, there was no comparable entry in the long history of cinema to be found. Natural disasters, wars, tragedies, and even diseases had certainly come before. In turn, there had been closures to accompany each of these unfortunate events. Yet, there had always been a very different emphasis surrounding the closures of troubled times past.
One such example can be found with the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Following an estimated 7.9 magnitude quake, more than 80% of the city was left in ruins. Among the structures destroyed were Sid Grauman’s Unique and Lyceum theatres. With aftershocks standing as an ever-present danger, the indoor activity of moviegoing appeared to be out of the question (assuming one could even find a structure to utilize). Despite this, there remained a demand for some return to normalcy, an escape from the devastation and horror that gripped the city. So, Sid obtained a tent from a local preacher and outfitted it with salvaged church pews. Opening Grauman’s Canvas Theatre a few days later, Sid promoted his cinema refuge with the reassuring message “Nothing to fall on you but canvas if there is another quake”. The Grauman family went on to open a second tent theatre (The National) to serve overflow audiences and continued these operations for another two years; providing a weary public with a much-needed escape.
While troubled times varied in cause and outcome over the ensuing century, the desire to escape into the refuge of moviegoing had always remained a constant…Until now. Where once people sought the social camaraderie and distraction found in the theatre experience, we now find a force driving people away from such an experience. Where once the overlying question stood as to how soon we can return, the question currently stands as to how long we should stay away. The truly unprecedented event we are baring witness to is how the public is reacting to and viewing “closed indefinitely”.
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