The film industry has been one of the industries that has suffered the most during the 2020 pandemic that still continues in this 2021. In a moment of uncertainty and lack of information for everyone, something unprecedented happened: all movie theaters in Latin America -and the whole world- had to close their doors.
After so many months of inactivity, every industry in every country had to look for ways to organize themselves for the expected return - when the time came. Several aspects had to be considered and in many cases there were long discussions and debates with industry and governmental agents in relation to protocols, percent capacity of movie theaters, which films could be released, among many others.
For example, in Brazil, there is a "Resume Movement" (“Movimento da retomada”) which, led by the company Flix Media, managed to bring together exhibitors, distributors, press and digital agencies, among other actors, with the aim of uniting, strengthening and preparing the entire sector for the reopening of theaters. The teams worked hard for months and everyone had a clear role which allowed them to prepare and launch a campaign in every media outlet focusing on the fact that movie theaters are a safe place and that it is worth enjoying that moment. It also appealed to the nostalgia of the moments lived and shared before COVID-19.
Something similar was carried out in Mexico when the most important exhibitors of the local market -and the region- also appealed to campaigns focused on the nostalgia of sharing that place once again and on showing the new cleaning and safety protocols implemented in each of their theaters.
In Central American countries, such as Costa Rica, movie theaters were supported by the Chamber of Films Distributors and Exhibitors of Costa Rica (CADEC), where they launched several communications where the core line was: "Let's go back to the movies with confidence". There they explained in detail all the measures implemented - such as the generalized use of masks, traffic control to avoid crowds, theaters capacity with seats in between, entry and exit protocols, use of floor graphics and signs, hand sanitizers, disinfection of the place between films, etc. The idea was to reduce the points of contact for consumers too, which is why online ticket sales were promoted.
Undoubtedly, this is a situation that no one had ever imagined before, but the important thing is that it left us with a great learning experience, new ways of working and consumption. All movie lovers know that there is nothing better than living the experience of going to the cinema to enjoy a good movie in a comfortable seat. We hope that during this year -with the help of vaccines- the situation will improve and we will be able to enjoy a good sweet popcorn again.
Long live the movies!
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