Everyone’s lives changed in March of 2020. For the movie theater industry in particular, nothing would ever be the same. It’s no secret that movie theaters are an epicenter for lots of waste and germs, so when the pandemic hit, many movie theaters were shut down.

There was talk among movie-goers that the COVID Pandemic would be what ends the industry all together, since the pandemic also brought a rise to streaming services. Original content came from everywhere, from Youtube to Netflix, so it was hard to foresee a happy ending for the theater industry. 

Even when movie theaters started to open back up, people were hesitant to return after a year of fear to gather in close quarters. Of course, the neverending stream of Marvel movies helped boost the industry, but some theaters never even opened back up!

It wasn’t until very recently, with Top Gun: Maverick, that people were confident in returning to theaters. Top Gun had some of the highest grossing numbers for an opening weekend that isn’t a marvel movie– for reference, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness only made 187 Million. It raised the question for many: is this the resurgence of movie theaters? 

Probably not. Streaming services are incredibly convenient, and considerably less expensive. But, it’s definitely a start. Recently, the local theater of Seaford Cinemas opened back up. This wouldn’t be anything too interesting until it’s revealed that Seaford Cinemas hasn’t been opened since the beginning of the pandemic, even still displaying the titles of March 2020’s new releases, and the prices of Seaford’s tickets: Five dollars before 4:00 and on Tuesdays, Nine dollars for adults at all other times. 

This isn’t a very wide spread phenomena, but for the people of Long Island, it could very much mean the return of an inexpensive night out. For the children and teens of Long Island, it means a much more accessible hangout spot. Hopefully, other places will follow suit.