Christopher Nolan bats for survival of theatres post- COVID-19

PTI, Mar 22, 2020, 4:54 PM IST

Los Angeles: Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has made an impassioned appeal to the audiences to help the cinema houses survive after they were shut in many parts of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The filmmaking business has been severely affected by the disease outbreak with many upcoming releases now being postponed while several movie productions have come to a halt.

In an op-ed for Washington Post, Nolan, whose next film “Tenet” is scheduled to open worldwide in July, said the theatres are a “vital part of social life” and source of employment to many people.

“These are places of joyful mingling where workers serve up stories and treats to the crowds that come to enjoy an evening out with friends and family. As a filmmaker, my work can never be complete without those workers and the audiences they welcome,” he added.

Nolan said audiences hardly think about the people working in the theatres as they mostly worry about the “stars, the studios, the glamour”.

“But the movie business is about everybody: the people working the concession stands, running the equipment, taking tickets, booking movies, selling advertising and cleaning bathrooms in local theatres. Regular people, many paid hourly wages rather than a salary, earn a living running the most affordable and democratic of our community gathering places.”

He further said the theatrical experience has always reinforced a popular belief that “we’re all in this together”.

“In addition to the help theatre employees need from the government, the theatrical exhibition community needs strategic and forward-thinking partnership from the studios. The past few weeks have been a reminder, if we needed one, that there are parts of life that are far more important than going to the movies,” Nolan added.