Melbourne's Cinemas Have Finally Started to Reopen After Months of Lockdown
They're screening everything from 'Bill & Ted Face the Music' to 'Tenet'.
When Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria's latest stage of eased COVID-19 restrictions, he gave cinephiles a particularly exciting piece of news — for the second time this year. Movie theatres first closed around the country in mid-March. Then, they reopened in Melbourne in mid-June, but had to shut again at the beginning of July. Now, projectors are allowed to start whirring again in the Garden State — finally.
Of course, that doesn't mean that it's popcorn-munching business as usual quite yet — but local cinemas are eagerly welcoming back movie buffs. Cinema Nova was one of initial places to throw open its doors, relaunching on Monday, November 9, on the very first day it could. It's screening a heap of films that haven't played in Melbourne as yet, including everything from zombie thriller Peninsula and heist comedy Kajillionaire to stellar teen cancer movie Babyteeth, fierce French drama Les Misérables and the supremely moving US effort Never Rarely Sometimes Always.
Also letting film fans back into darkened rooms are the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas, which reopened on Tuesday, November 10. The three sites are showing some of the aforementioned titles, too, plus other films such as Australian documentary Brazen Hussies, and comedies An American Pickle, Bill & Ted Face the Music and The Personal History of David Copperfield. And yes, they have actually already been playing a few of these movies already, since they all reopened their outdoor and/or rooftop cinemas at the beginning of the month.
And, joining the relaunching bonanza from Thursday, November 12 are Reading's Victorian sites. They'll be among some of the state's cinemas that'll be screening Tenet from that day — almost three months after it released in the rest of the country — as well as new body-swap horror-comedy Freaky.
On that same date, Village Cinemas will reopen its Victorian venues as well — other than the Coburg Drive-In, which has already relaunched — and so will Hoyts and The Sun Theatre.
Also jumping back into action that day are Palace's Victorian sites. And, including at The Astor Theatre, they'll do so with a lineup of brand new movies — including On the Rocks and the aforementioned Tenet. The British Film Festival will also hit town as well.
If you didn't head to the flicks in the small June-July window that cinemas were allowed to reopen in Melbourne, expect a few changes. Like attending any business reopening in the time of COVID-19, the movie-going experience is a bit different at the moment — including online bookings, allocated seating, capacity limits, gaps between patrons, contactless payment, social-distancing requirements and extra cleaning.
For more information about what's screening in Melbourne from this week, or to book tickets, visit the websites for Cinema Nova; the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas; Reading; Village; Hoyts; The Sun Theatre; and Palace and The Astor Theatre.
Top image: Charlie Kinross Photography.
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