Movie theatre reopening met with excitement

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON — When the Southpoint Imagine Cinemas powered down their projectors in March 2020, nobody ‘imagined’ that it would take 16 months to get them back up and running.

On Friday, July 16, that dream of reopening was realized, as the theatre welcomed patrons back to their seats with offerings of three movies on their screens.

General Manager Drew Smith had been waiting patiently for things to get back to the way they were prior to the COVID pandemic.

The Schmitt family of Leamington, were among the first patrons through the door on Friday, July 16 at Southpoint Imagine Cinemas. The family was all set to watch Black Widow on the big screen.

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“It’s exciting to be back,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”

Smith and his assistant manager, Sydney Bergeron, were joined by fellow employee Darrian Carter, as the three of them handled the influx of people on Friday afternoon.

The smell of freshly popped corn filled the theatre lobby as the first patrons — the Schmitt family of Leamington — purchased tickets to see Black Widow and rounded out their purchase with some popcorn, nachos and soft drinks.

According to Smith, they expected a brisk business, as many people had already purchased tickets online.

Southpoint Imagine Theatre Assistant Manager Sydney Bergeron, left, with General Manager Drew Smith and fellow employee Darrian Carter, were ready to serve customers for the first time in 16 months at the theatre’s reopening on Friday, July 16.

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The biggest difference is that all seating is assigned seating, so you can pick your seat prior to going into the theatre.

“That will ensure social distancing,” said Smith. “There will be empty seats between your group and the group next to you.”

Smith says that, for now, they will be operating at 50 per cent capacity, allowing for the necessary empty seats, but he’s hoping to get back to normal sooner rather than later.

For the Schmitts, they were just happy to be able to take in a movie at their local theatre.

The theatre is located at 84 Talbot Street East in Leamington and is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays, operating the other five days of the week.

Visit imaginecinemas.com for up-to-the-minute movie schedules.