Restorations slowed, but outlook good for Roxy Cinemas in Ottawa after reopening

Illinois’ return to phase four of COVID-19 mitigations in January meant a return for movie theaters with capacity limits.

This gave a boost to Roxy Cinemas in Ottawa.

Roxy spokesman Mark McSparin said the business has had a couple of good weeks with new movies “Tom & Jerry” and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and he thinks the business has turned a corner in returning to normal for movie theaters.

“It’s encouraging,” McSparin said. “People want to come back to the theater and I think the better product we get on a more regular basis and the more we can get back into the swing of things, I think we’ll get to a good spot.”

The slow down in business that came with pandemic restrictions also halted progress on construction projects planned at Roxy. McSparin said the backside of the building will get a new facade but it’s at a standstill.

More than two years ago, the city sent an engineer to assess the structure when a brick fell off the building and onto the sidewalk and alley. The Roxy has been making repairs to the backside of its structure since.

McSparin said the theater also had plans to remodel its bathrooms that were put on hold because there was no income coming in during the restrictions.

He doesn’t expect to get up to full speed while there are pandemic restrictions still in place but he’s waiting for summer to see if the theater can get back to 80% or 90% of where it was pre-pandemic.

“Ottawa’s a town that really supports and loves their movie theaters,” McSparin said. “They’ve always been extremely loyal to that theater downtown and I feel really comfortable that we’ll get a good flow of people here in the coming months and we can get back to these projects we’ve been wanting to do.”

McSparin said he’s not worried about Disney and other movie companies releasing movies on streaming platforms first because people don’t get the experience of sitting in a theater.

He pointed out the $30 price point to watch a movie at home over a theater doesn’t seem like the most attractive offer in place of a night out.

“Going to the theater is about more than just watching a movie,” McSparin said. “It’s about the night out. It’s about entertainment. It’s a favorite pastime for Americans just like going to a sporting event.”

McSparin said watching a movie at home doesn’t encapsulate an audience the same way watching in a theater does.

“You get someone talking to you or your phone rings or somebody knocks on the door,” McSparin said. “It’s just a whole different experience. I don’t have any doubts or reservations about how the theater business is going. I’m buying. Things for movie theaters are going to get better and better.”