The cinemas have been closed for weeks and the end of the second lockdown is not in sight.
At KinoP, you help your way through the crisis with optimism.
The existence of the small Penzberg art house cinema does not seem to be in danger at the moment.
Penzberg - From mid-March to mid-June last year, the cinemas in Bavaria had to remain closed due to corona.
Strict distance rules then applied to visitors over the summer.
For KinoP this means: a maximum of 35 visitors in the large hall, which would actually offer space for 117 moviegoers, and a maximum of twelve spectators in the small hall, which is actually designed for 34 spectators.
And now the small cinema on Bichler Strasse is completely closed again.
But Markus Wenzl cannot be pulled down by that.
“Apart from the fact that we're dying to be able to work again and to make the cinema, things are going very well,” says the cinema operator, describing the current mood among him, his wife Claudia and the employees, and adds: “It feels like an unwanted early retirement at."
The small cinema currently has no financial problems thanks to the November aid.
The prize money from the summer would also be used to ensure the continued existence of the cinema.
As reported, the Penzberger Lichtspielhaus was awarded a program bonus of 10,000 euros for its “outstanding program” by the Film-Fernseh-Fonds Bayern (FFF Bayern) in August.
The Wenzl couple had originally considered investing the money in the construction of a third cinema because the neighboring dance school stopped, but: "That has been shelved for the time being," said Wenzl.
In view of the second lockdown, he is glad that the expansion plans have not yet been tackled.
That would be catastrophic now.
However, thanks to government aid and prize money, the cinema is currently getting through the crisis quite well.
Vouchers are still being sold, albeit not as many as during the first lockdown.
The four employees are currently on short-time work, but should continue to be employed.
The KinoP is “not at the moment” in acute need of existence.
Small art house cinemas like his are currently doing better than the large multiplex houses, because: “We are better supported.” The big cinemas receive less help, since the state assumes that they have been in the past few years were able to build up sufficient reserves by showing big blockbusters.
When asked about a possible reopening, Wenzl is confident.
“I'm an optimist there.” He hopes that the first films can be shown in February, even if he admits that April would be the far more realistic date.
But whenever exactly: "It'll go on again."
The cinema operator does not anticipate that cinema will then be possible as in previous years.
Distance rules would certainly still have to be complied with after the reopening.
This means that the number of visitors and income are limited.
No concrete plans could be made as to which films should be shown at the start.
“It all has to happen relatively spontaneously,” says Wenzl.
Actually, he would like to first show the films from the previous year that could no longer run due to the closure.
“We were downright choked off with some of them.” He cannot say whether that will be possible, because some of these films may already have been released on DVD by then.
At the beginning, Wenzl would like to show the film “The Boandlkramer and Eternal Love”.
The film by Joseph Vilsmaier with Michael Bully Herbig and Hape Kerkeling could make the audience laugh again, Wenzl believes.
Even after the first lockdown, people were keen to go to the cinema.
Hopefully it will be the same again this time.