By Dan Miller

The pandemic took its toll on many local businesses, but possibly none worse than the movie theaters.

“We had a very rough time, being totally closed for four months,” said Gabriel Saluan, vice president of Atlas Cinemas.  “I decided to keep all of our managers on payroll and pay their health insurance, even though we had no income.   Then, when we were allowed to open on June 10, 2020, the studios would not release any new movies, so we had to pivot and show retro features (Jurassic Park, Mad Max, etc.) for $5.00 just to draw some customers in.”

After that, the Atlas team came up with the family and friends theater rental where a family could rent an entire auditorium for as little as $50 and watch a classic movie together––out of the house.   The rentals also offer special group deals on concessions.

“It brought in families and helped us generate some income to stay afloat.  We have done thousands of rentals and that still continues to be our focus,” added Saluan.  

Once theaters opened back up to limited capacities, they had to deal with yet another obstacle.  The studios had begun to release movies for streaming on television platforms.  Warner Bros. and Disney have decided to maintain this dual release model through the end of 2021.  That is good for people still uncomfortable with crowds, but it is prolonging the comeback for movie theaters who are used to being the only place to see new releases. 

Fast forward to July 2021 and the theater chain is starting to see things come back to normal at its six locations.  The theaters are back to about 50% of normal business as compared with being down 90% in 2020.  

When moviegoers return they will find all of the things that made Atlas a great movie-watching experience.  Things like luxurious, oversized-style seating and full recliners (Great Lakes Stadium 16 and Diamond Center 16 in Mentor, and Eastgate 10 in Mayfield Heights), great surround sound and large screen digital presentation.

In addition, while other theaters have raised their rates, all pricing at Atlas Cinemas is at prepandemic levels, including their $5 Monday special.

New procedures include more intense cleaning and cleaning more often.

And there has never been a better time to go to the movies with the coming releases of films like Top Gun: Maverick, Dune, West Side Story, Venom: Let There Be Carnage,  The Suicide Squad 2, No Time To Die (James Bond),  Sing 2, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Jungle Cruise, The Eternals, Addams Family 2, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to name a few.

Saluan concluded, “It has been a gut-wrenching 15 months, but I see a bright light at the end of this journey, as long as the studios keep releasing new content that people are craving for.   The demand is there –– we just need the movies.”

Call your favorite Atlas Cinemas location to arrange your own private screening.  Please allow 24-48 hours to schedule.  No outside food permitted.  Visit www.AtlasCinemas.net for show times and other information.

Great Lakes Stadium 16
Mentor • 440-974-4372

Diamond Center 16
Mentor • 440-352-8846 

Eastgate 10
Mayfield Heights • 440-460-0399

Lakeshore 7
Euclid • 216-731-1701

Atlas Cinemas at Shaker Square
Cleveland • 216-331-6825