They were initially pleasantly surprised when they heard that the reopening of cultural venues (museums, cinemas, theaters, etc.) would take place on May 19 with a capacity of 800 people (1,000 outdoors). With in their sights the date of June 9, which would coincide with the launch of a health pass paving the way for shows or gatherings of up to 5,000 people. Then, theater owners, producers, artists quickly highlighted the outstanding question marks, as one examines the asterisks of a promotional offer. With in particular this essential fact: the calendar could be modified in certain territories if the epidemic pressure is too strong. While optimism is in order, the issues and the state of play of reopening projects vary depending on the sector.Overview of reactions from the world of culture after the latest presidential announcements.
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" Finally !
"After 182 consecutive days of closure, the cinemas will reopen on May 19 and, for Richard Patry, the president of the National Federation of French cinemas, this is" excellent news ".
“Having a perspective is great,” assures the owner of the operators.
From May 19, cinemas will again welcome audiences with a 35% gauge and a 9 p.m. curfew.
From June 9, the gauge will drop to 65% and the curfew to 11 p.m.
From June 30, theaters should reopen without conditions.
Until further notice, the wearing of a mask will of course be compulsory in cinemas.
Cinema: "We cannot release a new film if the reopening is not national"
“It's the light at the end of the tunnel! enthuses Jocelyn Bouyssy, head of the CGR network. We finally have visibility, enthusiasm, a schedule and we believe in it. "The important thing is to reopen, whatever the conditions," insists Richard Patry. As platforms gain ground, we need to be able to show our fellow citizens that the most beautiful place to see a film is the theater. "We would rather lose money by being open than losing money by being closed", summarizes Louis Merle, who runs three Parisian venues (Les 5 Caumartin, Les 7 Parnassiens and Le Lincoln). The operator foresees a recovery "not miraculous", but a correct summer and an "extraordinary" fall: "From September, there will be one blockbuster per week. This will benefit multiplexes, but also other theaters,which will collect all the other feature films. "
As for film distributors, we are also delighted with the reopening of theaters, even if some remain "cautious" after the abortive reopening of December 15. From May 19, we will be able to see in theaters feature films that were released just before the closing at the end of October (“Farewell to idiots”, “DNA”, “100% wolf”, “Drunk”, “Rag boy”… ), but also films that should have been showing on December 15, such as "Mandibules" or "Slalom". “The promotion of the film is already done, underline Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier, who distribute“ Slalom ”. The posters hung on Morris columns for months… We had better get out as soon as possible. "
Some distributors would first like to make way for feature films already released this fall. Others, like Henri Demoulins, responsible for the distribution of Pathé, believe that it is also necessary to “offer novelty” to the public. Pathé will be releasing “Envole-moi” by Christophe Barratier on May 19. Other new feature films should join the poster for the reopening of theaters, such as "L'Etreinte" by Ludovic Bergery and the manga "Demon Slayer" ... Unless the protocol differed according to the territories, as Emmanuel Macron has argued. . “This is the sword of Damocles. We cannot release a new film if the reopening is not national, ”warns Eric Lagesse, president of Pyramide Distribution. From Monday, distributors will work together to establish their respective calendars, with a dual objective:to attract the public again in theaters, while avoiding a traffic jam which would be fatal for the smallest films.
Concerts: still a lot of unknowns
For Olivier Darbois, president of Prodiss, the national producers' union, the announcements are difficult to comment on.
“We welcome a trajectory that is going in the right direction, there is a wind of optimism, but there are still too many unknowns and we are awaiting details.
»When will the indoor concerts resume?
Can outdoor, standing concerts take place?
How will the festival season go?
For the moment, still a lot of vagueness.
“What is certain is that the restart, in our sector, will be extremely long and complex, forecasts Olivier Darbois.
We are not going to reopen in a snap ”.
Gérard Pont, boss of the Morgane group, head of the Printemps de Bourges and Francofolies de La Rochelle festivals, anxiously awaited the presidential announcements. "But I see real glimmers of hope there," he rejoices. At first reading, in any case, I am generally reassured. We were right to maintain our festivals, moving Bourges from April to the end of June. We will be able to announce their programming very soon. Now, there are still inconsistencies and many points to be clarified: on the sanitary pass, the time of the curfew, the spectator gauge according to the regions… ”
“These announcements are going in the right direction but are vague, reacts the owner of a large Parisian concert hall.
What is certain, in any case, is that we will not open on May 19.
First, because we wait for the decrees to pass and they are often different from the announcements.
And above all because you don't put on a show in three weeks.
These announcements do not guarantee performers or ticket sales for us.
And given our financial situation, we can't afford to take any risk.
"
The theater sees "the end of the tunnel", but ...
Will theaters, like cinemas, have the obligation to reduce their gauges to 35% (from May 19 to June 8) then to 65% (from June 9 to 30)? "I imagine that we will not be able to reopen immediately to 100% ..." blows a room owner, in the blur. A sentence to summarize the state of mind of many owners of places: “We waited so long for the reopening that we are almost incredulous. It is signed by Jean-Marc Dumontet, producer and owner of several theaters, including Bobino, the Antoine Theater and the Point-Virgule. “This is an encouraging signal, engages this close friend of Emmanuel Macron. We have to be careful because the risk is obvious, but we need these signals. We are approaching the moment when this epidemic will no longer prevent us from living. It gives perspectives, it boosts us all. ".
"We can see a semblance of light at the end of the tunnel," confirms Sébastien Beslon, director of the European, room with 350 seats in Paris (17th century). It will bring back some cheerfulness. We have a calendar on which to rely to relaunch the machine, we will quickly get into working order. The curfew, even pushed back to 9 p.m., remains complicated for us. And I hope that we will not do the coup of December 15
(Editor's note: the reopening of the theaters was canceled at the last moment)
. It would be very hard. But frankly, I find it hard to see the government backing down. The upcoming regional elections will perhaps help us a little in this regard. "
For Bertrand Thamin, president of the private theaters union, overall, “the announcements are going in the right direction, even if with this crisis, we have learned to be like Saint-Thomas, to believe only what we see.
Live entertainment, and especially the private sector, is one of the most vulnerable sectors.
The relaunch, from May to October, will be the most sensitive moment.
Because you have to take out important resources to launch a show.
And these means, we no longer have them, the treasuries are flat.
For shows that will work, it will be fine.
But for those who won't work, I have serious concerns.
"
Museums can't wait
Since February, thanks to a forum and an open letter, many museums have been calling for a rapid reopening, even at low tonnage. However, this Thursday, few communicated following the presidential announcements. The mastodons that are the Louvre and Orsay, perhaps held back by the tonnage of 800 visitors, did not wish to react. " Too early ". Ditto for the museums of the city of Paris. The officials of many museums are waiting for more information on the conditions of the reopening before announcing the dates of the curtain.
In Paris, the museum of decorative arts did not wait: as of this Thursday afternoon, the imminent reopening was displayed in full on the site of the institution which also manages the Nissim de Camondo museum. "After six months of closure, it is a cause for celebration to know that we can open the doors to the public on May 19 if the sanitary conditions allow it", react Sylvie Corréard, Director General, and Olivier Gabet, Director of museums. “As in all museums, all the conditions of respect for sanitary, gauge and traffic standards will be implemented, so that this return is above all for our visitors a moment of enthusiasm and culture, and not of worry. . Here, three temporary exhibitions will be on view in addition to the permanent collections. One of them,entitled “Luxes” (“an artistic and poetic reflection on what luxury is through history and civilizations”), will be extended for the occasion, until July 18. “Everything will be done to reconnect with our main missions, to transmit and inspire. "
Amusement parks in the starting blocks
"At no time does the president cite leisure parks," remarks Arnaud Bennet, president of SNELAC (Syndicate of amusement parks). But if cinemas, museums and restaurants can reopen on the 19th, I don't see why we couldn't do it. We are awaiting confirmation. If this happens quickly, most sites will be ready to reopen on Monday 19 or, at worst, Wednesday 21 May. “This deadline suits us, given the health context. Having said that, there will be another important point to clarify. The government promised us that the aid granted to us would not be stopped outright in the event of reopening, but granted in a degressive manner. I hope that will be the case, at least until July. Otherwise, some parks could choose to keep doors closed. "
