I have been closely following the situation over in New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo has instilled some of the harshest and most restrictive COVID-19 laws in the entire country. Given that New York City is the biggest movie market in the country, “Tenet” not opening there would be a major financial hit for Warner Bros.
And so, movie theaters remain closed indefinitely in Cuomo’s state. The controversial Governor reiterated on Monday that he won’t reopen cinemas because they are less essential and come with a higher risk of virus transmission. This means that, as we speak, theaters in the country’s two largest markets (New York City and Los Angeles) will not be screening “Tenet” when it is released in the United States on September 3rd.
According to Deadline, Cumo added: “I am sure there is a whole group of people who say, ‘I cannot live without going to the movies.’ But on a relative risk scale, a movie theater is less essential and poses a high risk. It is a congregant. It is one ventilation system. You are seated there for a long period of time … Even if you are at 50-percent capacity with one or two seats between the two of you, this is a risk situation, and movie theaters are not that high on the list of essentials.”
Yeah, but it’s okay to let anarchy reign in your state, Mr. Cuomo. NYC has seen a spike in violence these last few weeks, mostly due to the ineptness of its Governor and Mayor (the infamous Bill De Blasio). All this pent-up aggression could be due to the severe authoritarian-esque restrictions that have been instilled in the city since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Cuomo did not indicate when he will allow theaters to reopen.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.