Another NJ movie theater closing. The world isn’t the same (Opinion)

It’s been a long haul for movie theaters across the country. They were, of course, closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Then, they were allowed to open but with capacity restrictions.

Movie theaters were already struggling with all of the competition from streaming services and the ability to turn your home into a virtual theater. For some people, though, the experience of going to the movies simply cannot be replicated by sitting at home with a good sound system. People who like that are keeping the movie theater industry alive. But the more films that debut on Netflix and other streaming services, the worse it is for movie theaters.

Add capacity restrictions to that and it’s inevitable that many of them will close. AMC Theaters has just announced the closing of its Hamilton location and it’s probably only a matter of time before more of them announce closings.

Pretty much every movie I’ve seen in the past few years has been at an AMC theater and I can’t even imagine the couple of locations near me closing. It would seem like a different world without them. Come to think of it, it IS a different world.

An article on Petersons Breaking News cites the reason for the closing as rental costs, but is stands to reason that the pandemic is probably what was the last straw. A statement from the company explains the negotiations with the landlord and the challenges that COVID-19 has brought to the business. In the statement, the public was assured that Hamilton is “the only AMC in this area impacted as a result of this agreement.”

Let’s hope that the rest can make it through this.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi’s own.