FILM

the future. In conversations with managers, programmers, and theater workers around the city (most of whom, full disclosure, I know from my own tenure in the Chicago film community), a few consistent themes emerged, the most prevalent being optimism, tenacity, and a yearning to finally be back at the movies while looking to apply lessons gleaned during the pandemic. The Music Box, specifically, has been one of the less-commercial venues pioneering the in-person experience; they reopened for the first time in July (just in time for Tenet ), closed again in November, reopened again in February, and recently expanded their showtimes to seven days a week in late March.

play video games; meanwhile locations for another prominent chain, Regal Cinemas, have remained closed indefinitely. Some theaters are operating exclusively in the rental space, like the New 400 and the Harper Theater, whose event planner, Brittany Low-Lipsey, remarked that the dearth of new releases is partly the reason for that. “Once Hollywood opens completely and starts sending movies to theaters, then we will open to the public,” she says. “At the moment, the private theater rental is working better for us.”

WORLD REOPENING