The Capitol Theatre in North Battleford is temporarily closing it's doors due to safety concerns.(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Second shutdown

Capitol Theatre temporarily closing again

Apr 8, 2021 | 6:26 PM

The Capitol Theatre will temporarily close its doors to moviegoers again.

In a Facebook post, the North Battleford movie theatre said they were shutting down show times for new and old releases for the immediate future, until they feel more comfortable with staff and customer safety. Manager Ursula Swindler said the decision wasn’t an easy one, with attendance starting to pick up steam after Godzilla vs. Kong debuting last weekend, but she and her staff felt disrespected by people forgetting to follow guidelines.

“It was unfortunate because my staff and I didn’t feel it was safe to have that many people coming in and not following the guidelines,” she said.

According to Swindler, Easter weekend also resulted in a number of people from out of province and larger municipalities, adding she spent much of those evenings running around reminding people to wear their masks and telling them not to eat food at the till.

“After a year, I thought people would have known this is what they needed to do,” Swindler said. “It was a lot.”

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During the pandemic, movie theatre chains across North America have struggled mightily, with blockbusters like Tenet and Wonder Woman: 1984 underwhelming at the box office. COVID-19 related restrictions have prevented showings from filling up. Currently in Saskatchewan, the maximum number of people permitted are 30 people, provided two metres of physical distance can be maintained. Theatres in Regina and other southern regions have been closed since March 28.

Swindler stressed the decision isn’t long-term, rather, they are hoping to see new COVID-19 case numbers decline.

“We’re just going to take a step back and see what’s happening,” she said. “Numbers are going up and people are still travelling everywhere, so we’re just going to step back and have a look before we reopen.”

As of April 8, the active case total in Saskatchewan sits at 2,141 and the fatality rate for positive cases is 1.3 per cent. While Swindler doesn’t have an exact opening date, she said she’s communicating with owner Tom Hutchinson for when they can open.

“Just a step back right now for at least a couple weeks and then we’ll see how it goes from there.”

The concession will be open for a few hours during Friday evenings for orders of popcorn.

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cjnbnews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW