New movie theater opens in Alton despite pandemic

But the theater shutdowns caused Hollywood to shift its model of distributing films, experts say. Now, many movies are being released to streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime at the same time they are being released to theaters. Some movies go straight to the streaming services and are not shown in theaters at all.

Still, the studios have held back their biggest and most expensive pictures from release in the expectation that they can come out at a time when audiences can crowd back into theaters, according to Geiger.

“Over the next 24 months, we are going to have a lineup unlike anything we have ever seen,” he said.

The new theater opens with the release of just such a potential blockbuster, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” a special-effects extravaganza featuring two of cinema’s historically most popular monsters doing battle while incidentally destroying cities. The picture also begins streaming Wednesday on HBO Max.

Also showing at the opening of the Alton theater are the action film “Nobody” and the animated family films “Tom & Jerry” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

The theater’s eight auditoriums offer between 75 and 150 plush reclining seats, each fitted with a movable tray to hold food and drinks.

According to Geiger, during the pandemic each auditorium will be filled to 50% capacity, or no more than 50 people at a time. The parts of the theater that are touched most often will be sanitized every 30 minutes. Face masks will be required and social distancing will be enforced.