Guest of 1 p.m. on TF1, Jean Castex announced the imminent lifting of certain health measures. Can you go to the cinema without a mask and vaccination pass?
Yesterday, during an interview on TF1, Jean Castex announced the lifting of new restrictions. He explains : “the conditions are met for a new phase of easing of measures.” After wearing the mask, lifted on February 28, it is the turn of the vaccine pass to move slowly towards the exit.
Since the next march 14, it will no longer be compulsory to access places of culture, bars or restaurants. A lifting which obviously concerns cinemas. This precious sesame will therefore say goodbye, while the health situation is experiencing a marked improvement in France.
We are entering a new phase of easing health measures.
March 14:
– the vaccination pass will be suspended wherever it applied
– the obligation to wear a mask will be lifted everywhere, including classes, except in public transport. pic.twitter.com/EPMwNNJ9it— Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) March 3, 2022
Some exceptions
If it is no longer compulsory in the cinema, wearing a mask is still required in public transport and in health establishments. The health pass will also remain in force, except in emergencies, at the entrance to hospitals, retirement homes or establishments for disabled adults.
A breath of fresh air for cinema operators
Since July 21, the operators of dark rooms have been gray. The implementation of the health pass has a heavy impact on the economy of the sector, the attendance figures are still quite low. According to CNC estimates, in February, only 12.94 million entriesi.e. a level well below the attendance of February 2019 (-41%)
The lifting of restrictions should therefore be accompanied by a significant increase in cinema attendance. Especially since highly anticipated films are currently in theaters, starting with The Batman directed by Matt Reeves.
For its first day of operation, the film with Robert Pattinson attracted no less than 257,000 spectators, including the 87,000 tickets sold for the previews. Excellent performance that allows it to grab 38% market share according to Box Office Pro.
If it’s less than The Dark Knight Rises, Pattinson’s bat beats Ben Affleck’s bat at the post. As a reminder, Batman v Superman started with 196,000 admissions in 2016.
The arrival of new Marvel and Sony productions should also give a boost to the sector. Particularly awaited, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released on May 4 in France. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to exceed the scores achieved by Spider-Man: No Way Home.
If the year 2021 was generally rather calm in dark rooms, the release of Matrix 4 and No Way Home enabled French cinemas to return to close to normal attendance. No Way Home is still ranked sixth among the most popular films in February.
