It's been a tough year for cinemas across the nation, and the National Association of Theater Owners needs your help.
With COVID-19 still a tangible threat, it's important that we all stay safe and follow social distancing guidelines. Unfortunately, that means movie theaters are suffering as we can't go catch the latest release with our friends and family, and many are at risk of closing forever. That's why NATO has launched the #SaveYourCinema campaign, which you can take part in from the safety of your home.
Head to the Save Your Cinema website to fill out a form with your info like your full name, email address, phone number, and mailing address. It'll automatically send a pre-written message to US Senators, US Representatives, and sponsors of a bill called Save Our Stages, which proposes $15 billion in relief for movie theaters, theaters, and more.
Part of the letter reads: "Movie theaters were among the first to close when the pandemic was declared and will be the last to recover. The delay of many wide-release films into next year means that theaters have no new films, a critical requirement for them to stay open. 98% of theaters had losses of over 70% in recent months. Without relief, almost 69% of our country's small and independent theaters say they will go bankrupt or close entirely by the spring. This would be a terrible loss for our country's culture and economy. In addition to being community gathering places, theaters employ so many vulnerable individuals underrepresented in the workforce, including young people and people with disabilities."
It goes on to assert that aid from the government will save over 150,00 cinema jobs and get theaters through to 2021, when big films like Black Widow, No Time to Die, and Uncharted are set to debut.
NATO represents more than 35,000 movie theaters across the US, with representation in all 50 states, so anyone across the country can help spread the word and help #SaveYourCinema.
