Auckland's Cinemas Will Start Reopening (Again) From December 3

When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced the country's new 'traffic light system' for COVID-19 rules and restrictions, she gave Auckland movie lovers a particularly exciting piece of news. Cinemas have been closed in the city during lockdown — but, on Friday, December 3 when the new system begins, picture palaces are permitted to welcome cinephiles back in through the doors.

While that doesn't mean that it's popcorn-munching business as usual quite yet, that's when projectors will be allowed to start whirring again. And, local cinemas will reopen rather quickly — including some sessions just after midnight, aka as close as possible to the moment that theatres can kick into gear again.

Here's how movie-going will work under the red setting, which is where Auckland will sit: you'll need to have a vaccine certificate and each cinema can host up to 100 people, which is based on a one-metre distancing setting. You also have to be seated (obviously), and also separated when it comes to consuming food and drink. Masks are encouraged, and scanning in is mandatory.

Monterey Cinema is getting in early with a 12.07am session of No Time to Die, the latest Bond film and Daniel Craig's last in the role — and then embracing sandworms and sci-fi with Dune at 12.15am. If you'd rather head by at a more reasonable hour, other options include superhero action via Eternals or Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and family-friendly fare thanks to Disney's Encanto and the festive-themed A Boy Called Christmas.

Additional choices around town span Jane Campion's sublime New Zealand-shot western The Power of the Dog, Edgar Wright's time-warped horror-thriller Last Night in Soho starring NZ's Thomasin McKenzie, historical drama The Last Duel and Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. Or, there's also the animated Ron's Gone Wrong, plus documentaries The Rescue, Becoming Cousteau and The Alpinist.

This year's wild Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winner Titane is also opening alongside Auckland theatres, too. That means that you can mark your first trip to the movies in months with a film about a serial-killing car model with quite automotive fetish. That's cinema — and it's glorious.

For more information about Auckland's reopening settings, head to the New Zealand Government website.

Top image: Silky Otter Cinemas.