MENOMONIE, WI (KFGO) – When was the last time you spent a night at the movies? Many theatres have closed temporarily and some have even been shut down permanently due to the pandemic. The movie industry came to a standstill when COVID was at its peak and is still trying to recover. Many movies have pushed back their release dates.
Steven Van Voorhis is the manager at the Menomonie 7 Theatre in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The 24-year-old is a Fergus Falls native that has worked in the movie industry for 7 years. He’s worked at theaters in Fergus Falls and Breckenridge Minnesota and now in Wisconsin.
“I’m a big movie buff. I enjoy the big movie stuff like the projectors and how it gets on the big screen. I like the customer experience part as well. Seeing their enjoyment, especially the regulars is a great feeling.”
When COVID hit in March of 2020, Voorhis was forced to shut down the theatre.
Voorhis says, “With COVID, it put a dampening onto the business itself, getting people to come. Also when the government shutdown happened, that didn’t help either. It was hard to shut the theatre down when COVID started.”
The Coronavirus shut down the entertainment world during its peak, especially movie studios. During 2020, many movies shut down production, which affected release dates. Movies like Black Widow, Top Gun: Maverick, and James Bond’s No Time To Die were all pushed back. Voorhis was forced to close down again in October 2020 when film studios started delaying new releases.
The rise of streaming services like Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix has also affected the movie industry. During COVID, some film studios have chosen to bypass the theatre entirely, and release their movies on streaming services.
“As streaming services have gotten bigger, they have affected us a little bit. I relate it to the rise of DVDs and VHS. People thought theatres would fall off the face of the earth. Theatres actually thrived because people came to see the movie to find out if they wanted the DVD. Streaming services are just another bump in the road. I don’t think it will affect movie theatres in the long run because of the movie theatre experience.”, says Voorhis.
When COVID-19 is over, Voorhis says families will come back to experience a night out of normalcy.
“Going into the theatre and watching a Marvel or Star Wars movie surrounded by other fans is an experience that people crave.”
In Fargo, Marcus West Acres Cinema and Century 10 theaters are open on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Fargo Theatre is closed but does offer a Virtual Cinema option.
