Paul Bickford/NNSL photo
Hay River's movie theatre reopened for business on Aug. 14, but with some precautions because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking earlier that day, Michelle Schaub, the manager of Riverview Cineplex, said she was excited to see the reopening of the business, which had been closed since March because of Covid-19.
"I've been working on this for about a month and a half now. It's a lot of paperwork, because I didn't want to open up with just the 25 people," she said, noting that 25 people are allowed for an indoor gathering under phase two of the GNWT's Emerging Wisely plan to ease restrictions imposed because of Covid-19.
That would have meant just 25 people in each of the two theatres that make up Riverview Cineplex.
However, Schaub said that would not have made sense because of the costs related to running the business. So she applied for a capacity variance, and received approval on Aug. 14.
Now, the two theatres will be allowed just under 50 per cent capacity.
There will be 59 people allowed in the bigger theatre, which can normally take up to 126 people.
There will be 30 people allowed in the smaller theatre, which can accommodate 71.
"So we're about half capacity, just a little bit less," said Schaub.
Measures have also been taken to ensure physical distancing when people are watching movies.
Many of the seats have been marked with red tape so as not to be used.
"The most I have is three people that can sit together," said Schaub, adding one person can be physically distanced from others and two people can also sit together.
The available seats also ensure that moviegoers are not sitting directly in front of or behind others.
"So you actually have a better view of the movie," Schaub said with a laugh. "You don't have tall people in front of you. You don't have people kicking your seats."
Other precautions are also being taken.
The rows of seats have been labelled with letters and individual seats have been numbered. People will have to choose their seats at the admissions window when buying their tickets.
A staff member will also be in the first-floor lobby of the B&R Rowe Centre to direct people as they proceed to Riverview Cineplex, which is on the third floor of the building.
Facemasks will not be mandatory, but people will be asked to use provided hand sanitizer when they enter.
The first movie in the larger theatre was Unhinged, which attracted 13 people on Aug. 14. Meanwhile, Trolls World Tour attracted seven viewers in the smaller theatre.
Riverview Cineplex employs a dozen people, including Schaub. Most of the workers are students at Diamond Jenness Secondary School or Ecole Boreale.
"They were so excited just to get back to work," said Schaub. "I think they were getting kind of bored sitting at home all the time."
Schaub also thinks having the Riverview Cineplex reopened will be good for the community.
"It's nice to get back to something that's just fun," she said. "Everybody just goes to work and goes home. Everybody has gotten so used to that."