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PLEASE NOTE that this Announcement was made in May of 2020. The substance and reasoning of the announcement are still valid.  However, the time frame has been superseded by events.  For updates on our progress and timing, please consult our monthly entries on “The Latest” page.  Thank you.  John Toner, Founding Director. 

County Theater Major Announcement 5.15.20.

We will finish the entire County Theater Expansion Project in 2020, five months ahead of schedule.  As a result, the entire theater will remain closed through the end of 2020.

Dear County Theater Members and Supporters:

You are the foundation of the County Theater and we want to keep you up to date on developments. We miss you and we look forward to watching great films together again. However, the safety of our patrons and staff is paramount, so it won’t be possible to reopen any time soon.

The current crisis has caused us to rethink our reopening plans and how best to proceed with our construction work. We face a new reality and that has led us to a pivotal decision.

Here’s our big news:
We will finish the entire County Theater Expansion Project in 2020, five months ahead of schedule.  As a result, the entire theater will remain closed through the end of 2020.
Our board of directors has reviewed the situation in great detail and concluded that it makes sense to complete all our construction work in 2020, including renovations to the historic theater, rather than have it stretch on through May of 2021. We’ll reopen as a completed theater with all three screens at the end of 2020, five months ahead of schedule.

What was our previous construction plan?
We had previously planned to do the Expansion Project in two phases. Phase 1 was to build the new addition in 2020, while still running the historic theater. Phase 2 was to renovate the historic theater in 2021, while running the newly opened addition. Our proposed finish date was May 15, 2021.

What is our new plan?
Now we’ll combine the two phases to finish construction by December 31, 2020.

Wow. That’s a big change. What are the reasons for this?
There are two primary reasons why this change makes sense given the new reality that we face:

#1 - The County Theater would likely remain closed, or only open on a limited basis, for the rest of 2020 anyway.
We anticipate that the movie business will not return to normal until 2021, so it makes sense to use the rest of the year productively. 2020 poses an unprecedented challenge to movie theaters everywhere. The County would need to remain closed for the foreseeable future, and even when we did manage to reopen (probably in the fall), it would only be on a very limited basis dictated by strict social distancing and demanding health protocols. Further, film distributors are delaying new releases, so we might not have many movies to play for you. (See “Additional Questions” below for further discussion.)

#2 - The County Theater will save money under our new plan.
There will be substantial cost savings in completing all construction work in 2020. Our analysis shows that we will save up to $200,000 in the following ways: Reduced construction overhead costs by completing the job early.
Reduced monthly operations costs by staying closed in 2020, rather than trying to reopen. Increased monthly operations income in 2021 by having three new screens operating five months earlier than originally scheduled.

In summary: Our new plan allows us to be productive during this challenging time, rather than remain closed and inactive. It is prudent and advisable.
Our County Theater board and staff have proactively confronted our new reality by adapting and adjusting plans. Our board fully reviewed our situation and unanimously voted to implement this plan to make best use of the months ahead. This action is taken on behalf of our members and for the benefit of the community.

This is a difficult decision, because we have a strong urge to try to reopen. But, we are faced with a changed world. Be assured that when life returns to normal, we’ll be fully ready to be your community center and meeting place, again. We look forward to that day.

We hope we have respectfully and successfully communicated to you our reasoning and that you agree. Your support and trust are extremely important to us. We welcome your comments and questions at comments@countytheater.org or please call 267-864-0026.

Stay safe and healthy. And before you know it, we’ll see you at our Grand Opening.

Thank you.
Kim Rainey, President, Board of Directors
John Toner, Founding Director
Chris Collier, Executive Director

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

How will memberships be handled?
We will extend membership terms and give people credit for the time that we are closed. However, we hope many of our members will opt to “donate” the time that we are closed and renew their memberships as they come due.
Memberships will continue to be valid for reduced admission at our affiliated Renew Theaters - the Hiway, the Ambler, and the Garden when they reopen.

How will our theater employees be taken care of when we don’t reopen in 2020?
Our employees make us who we are. It is critical that we take care of them. We will be able to reemploy our full-time County managers at our three affiliated Renew theaters when they reopen. Those are the Hiway Theater (in Jenkintown), the Ambler Theater (in Ambler) and the Garden Theater (in Princeton, NJ). We will continue to cover their health insurance through June 30th (which is as long as our group policy currently allows) and will contribute our current cost to their COBRA payments until the other theaters are reopened. We will also try hard to employ our part-time staff at our affiliated theaters when they re-open.

Why will 2020 be so bad for theaters?
1) Theaters will be among the last businesses to reopen and the public will be reluctant to gather in close quarters. Our earliest projected date to reopen is July 1st. However, it is just as likely that it won’t be until September 1st or later. Governor Wolf’s plans will not currently allow large public gatherings for quite some time, and Southeast PA will be the last area to have restrictions lifted. It is also possible that the fall might bring flare-ups of new infections, causing us to close again.

2) We may not have many films to play in 2020.
Another major question is what films will we be playing? Film distributors are very reluctant to “waste” a new film release at a time when attendance at theaters will be down. They are already postponing attractive releases until the fall. They could easily push those films back to the winter and into 2021. And if we have only a few films to play, we have no real theater.

3) It will be very challenging to operate a theater safely with all the necessary social distancing and safety protocols.
How do we operate a sanitized version of the County? We would have to limit ticket sales to 25% of capacity to create buffer zones. And excusing yourself during the movie may encroach on others. Masks are likely. Will temperature checks be advised? Can we open the concession stand? Do we need “no touch” options for ticket sales? Do we “compartmentalize” staffing schedules, so that we don’t lose all staff if one tests positive? So many details to consider!

Are there risks to our new plan?
Yes, there are risks associated with a “Do It Now” approach. The major risk is the possibility of a delay in our new schedule due to supply chain disruptions. This would push our reopen date back into 2021. However, on balance, we think it’s less risky to change and do the work now.