The long lockdown continues to make life difficult for the cinemas in the Miesbach district.
We asked how the operators are doing.
Here: the Oberland-Kinocenter in Hausham.
Hausham
- lights off, projector on - and back to normal operation: Even if the corona situation allowed it, this would not be possible for the Oberland Kinocenter in Hausham.
“We simply don't have the material,” says Sabine Sohnius.
She runs six cinemas all over Bavaria with her family.
Usually a 365 day job.
Not since March 2020.
“We were open for exactly three months,” says Sohnius.
And since you couldn't show any new blockbusters.
The distributors have no interest in showing their expensively produced material in sparsely occupied cinemas.
Sohnius can understand that.
“When I sold two tickets, I had to block twelve places around.” The operator doesn't even dare to hope that this will change in the foreseeable future.
All the more, she welcomes any form of help.
At least you can rely on the Free State, says Sohnius.
According to Digital Minister Judith Gerlach, 40,000 euros in “start-up assistance” were most recently given to cinemas in the Miesbach district.
"The Bavarian film and cinema industry is an important branch of the economy and a central component of the Bavarian cultural scene," says Gerlach.
Accordingly, the federal government must finally get its promised aid on the way quickly.
Also read: This is how it works at the cinema at Tegernsee
So far, they are "not even worth the paper they are written on," says Sohnius.
The Oberland-Kinocenter has not seen a cent so far from either the November or December aid.
“A catastrophe,” sighs Sohnius.
The economic consequences for their company are slowly but surely threatening their very existence.
"At some point there is a shift in the shaft."
The light at the end of the tunnel is currently still very far away.
Even if the cinemas are allowed to reopen in the spring, there would be more tough months ahead.
“People go to the cinema less in summer, because we usually drank from the reserves built up in winter,” reports Sohnius.
Reserves that have long been used up after being closed for almost eight months.
Films that people haven't seen on online platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime for a long time are not announced again until autumn.
“The new Bond is supposed to start in October,” says Sohnius.
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In fact, 007's latest mission is almost a symbol of the endless drama that has been going on for the cinema industry since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Originally, "No Time to Die" should have started in April 2020.
Meanwhile the fans have to wait until October 31st before they can see Daniel Craig as James Bond again on the big screen.
By then at the latest, as Sohnius hopes, the rush in the cinemas will be so great that they too can say in good cheer: "No time to die."
so called