Several families made their way to the Capitol Annex this weekend to watch The Spongebob Movie. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

Partial audience

Mixed opening for Capitol Theatre over the weekend

Aug 17, 2020 | 3:00 PM

The first weekend of major releases at the cinema since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic drew a mixed response in the Battlefords, but those who attended screenings were very satisfied.

The family film The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run and the Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged debuted on August 14 throughout Canada. Several groups of family and friends attended screenings and were happy to return to the theatre.

“We’ve spent so much time watching movies from home, so this is definitely an awesome experience,” Julia Marjoram said.

“It’s definitely nice to get out of the house, do something different,” her brother Jared added.

Friday’s showings proved an excellent first day, with families in particular attending Spongebob. Manager Ursula Swindler said they were close to the approved capacity.

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“We’re allowed 30 per cent, so we were almost there,” she said.

However, business was slower the next two days. Swindler hopes part of the decrease was people taking advantage of the great weather, as she received great feedback from customers, almost all of whom were purchasing concession items.

“They said they missed watching it in the theatre, [compared to] watching it at home,” she said. “So, that was good to hear.”

Swindler said she hopes people who were initally nervous to go to the theatre will be more eager to attend after seeing community members there first and wanting to support other local organizations. In the next two weeks, there’s still a number of free shows available to the public. Battlefords Pride is sponsoring shows of Bohemian Rhapsody Monday and Thursday, where they will be accepting donations. The staff at Capitol Theatre are also putting on a showing of Slap Shot on August 27, with donations going towards the Lighthouse.

The hope for all theatre chains is that upcoming releases of Tenet (theatre wide on September 3) and the third Bill and Ted film (select theatres on August 28) will attract solid audience numbers. Swindler said the combination of being released on Labour Day weekend, with the buzz surrounding it for the past few months, should make Tenet a sure bet.

“I really think all of this back-and-forth, it being pushed later and pushed later has put more spotlight on, so people are going to come out and see it,” she said. “And it’s a Chris Nolan movie.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports