Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) "I'm very, very frustrated. There's been no mention of movie theatres for weeks from the Lieutenant Governor or Governor." Aurora Theatre owner Lynn Kinsella tells WBEN she never imagined that her business would be closed for four months with no sign of reopening anytime soon.
"When malls reopened, I thought, great, we're going to have an opportunity to reopen. And then there was no mention of movie theatres or gyms. We've been left out at this point," she said.
Kinsella thanks the local community for being so supportive during this time.
Currently, movie theatres are open in 32 states. Kinsella received weekly updates from the National Association of Theatre Owners, which represents 32-thousand screens in all 50 states. "They give us information about other reopenings which have gone very smoothly and safely," she added.
How is Kinsella handling it personally? "I'm shocked that we're able to handle it at this point. It's extremely challenging with bills to pay and little to no income coming in. It's been very difficult."
The staff at the Aurora Theatre has been laid off since March 16th. Kinsella feels bad as this was a second job for many. Now they don't have a second job to pay their bills.
If they did open, what would they be showing? "That's another challenge," said Kinsella. "Movie production has been shut down Movie studios and distributors are looking at when they can release new films and still make a profit. Everyday, we're getting news that they may not release a film. Right now we're at a critical point with that. New York is a very important state for the movie business." She expects to hear in the next week or two if new releases set for August will be happening or not.