“Reorganize”
and
“limit breakage”
.
In Marcq-en-Barœul (Nord) or Compiègne (Oise), cinemas bypass the sanitary pass, offering screenings with a reduced number of 49 people, or offer tests on site.
One way to stop the plunge in cinema attendance since the implementation of new health measures.
"I would not have done a PCR test just for a film
", concedes Myriam Khiter, 60, came to accompany her two granddaughters to see an animated film, at the Pont des arts in Marcq-en-Barœul near Lille , which offers a gauge of 49 people for certain sessions, including those in the morning, less frequented.
"It's great ! At least that respects everyone's choice, without discrimination, ”
greets Florence, in her fifties, who has come to seize the opportunity. Pascal, 60, sees it on the contrary
"a bad idea"
which "
encourages non-vaccination
".
"In any case, we do not risk having problems of distance"
, ironically a spectator while settling in an almost deserted room to see
Kaamelott: first part
.
Read also: Fall in attendance: "Has the cinema become an obsolete hobby?"
Since the establishment, on July 21, of the health pass - attesting to a complete vaccination or a negative test - in all places of leisure and culture capable of accommodating 50 people or more, attendance of dark rooms picked up.
“We are not against the health pass.
We want to find alternatives to satisfy everyone ”
, explains to AFP the director, Amandine Pitula, stressing that the initiative aims above all to
“ include ”
and
“ communicate ”
.
“People are a bit confused about the rules, the dates.
There is confusion.
Some do not know that a second dose is needed, to wait seven days, ”she
notes.
Lose money to save time
The Majestic group, which claims to be the
"first"
to have introduced screenings without a pass, in its theaters in the north of France, has preferred to apply them to films from 5:00 p.m. for
"organizational issues"
, affirms its Managing Director, Jean-Claude Tupin.
“In the evening, we have the total impossibility of controlling everyone. It's been endless queues, we can't do it. We will lose money, but we will save time, ”he
adds.
At the Compiègne multiplex, which has 2,500 places, antigenic tests are also offered free of charge until mid-August, four days a week, including weekends, in a private space in partnership with a local pharmacy.
"We wanted a solution even for sessions with compulsory passes, so as not to leave anyone on the side of the road,"
its CEO, Laurence Meunier, told AFP.
The returns are
"very favorable"
, especially people who
"
did
not have time to receive the second dose"
, who can leave with a pass valid for 48 hours.
"We will also be able to share it with restaurants in the area and karting," she
concedes.
A form of "
infantilization
"
Despite these alternatives, many operators see the new measures as a coup de grace after a black year.
"It's a disaster,"
sighs Loïc Arnaud, receptionist and manager of the Majestic cinema, which depends on the UGC group in Lille. Despite a rich program,
"we do days with 200 or 300 spectators, while we easily do double in normal times
,
" he
regrets.
"We are in a tight flow in terms of personnel"
while
"the pass requires spending two to three times more time to edit a ticket"
.
"It works better on phones than on paper,"
says Loïc Arnaud, holding the smartphone allocated by the State to scan QR codes.
“The other day, there was an endless line because of this stupid certificate
,
”
protests Gérard Lardet, in his sixties, in front of the film schedules of a cinema in the center of Lille. Even if he has been vaccinated for a long time, this
“great cinephile”
says he is
“embarrassed”
by measures leading to a form of
“infantilization”
.
