Ah, I love the cinema. The smell of popcorn in the foyer, the anticipation as the lights dim, the rumble of the bass through your seat as you escape into two hours of storytelling. The last film I watched at the cinema pre-lockdown was Misbehaviour, which was in mid-March but feels like approximately 100 years ago. We’ve been watching films at home of course. Hell, we’ve got two kids, full-time jobs and Disney+ - as a family we’ve watched a lot of films at home. But there is nothing quite like the cinema experience.
And so it was that, the first weekend in July, we packed the hand sanitiser and took our kids to a 1pm showing of Onward, Pixar’s latest high-concept family film about two elf brothers on a quest to bring their father back from the dead. Since then, of course, the guidance has changed and now it's compulsory to wear a face covering in the cinema. If you’re planning to venture back to the big screen soon, here’s what else you need to know:
Tickets must be booked in advance. You can either collect them from a touchscreen point, which is wiped down by a PPE-clad usher between each person, or at the point where you buy snacks. They’re only accepting contactless payment.
I noticed with disappointment that the buttery smell was not filling the foyer, but there is popcorn. It was produced from under the counter and was clearly not freshly popped - not that the kids cared. Other food options are limited to minimise queueing.
Sanitisation stations are dotted throughout, offering free hand sanitiser gel and wipes.
Since 8 August, face coverings are now compulsory in cinemas, so don't forget to take it with you.
Visor-wearing ushers in each screen lead you to socially distanced seats. We were with friends from another household, so thought we might not be able to sit together, but if you arrive together they assume you are in a social bubble. So, yes, you can sit next to your date.
Popping out to the loo during the film is fine. Staff are hovering to clean the cubicle as soon as you emerge, and every other sink is out of bounds, to keep people apart.
We were asked to remain in our seats when the film ended, to be ushered out a row at a time through the fire exit, thus maintaining the one-way system.
Most cinemas are currently showing a mix of classic films and recent-ish releases. There aren’t many new releases until Christopher Nolan’s Tenet finally lands (having been pushed back several times) on Wednesday 26 August.
It all felt surprisingly normal, even the screen that popped up before the trailers explaining that Odeon is a ‘safer cinema’, followed by instructions about washing your hands for 20 seconds and giving your fellow cinemagoers space.
Of course, it’s much easier to do social distancing in a huge multiplex with many screens. Smaller independent cinemas are struggling to make it financially viable to reopen (although, if you’re in London, Genesis in Whitechapel is open). Independent cinema needs your support now more than ever. So, even though ticket prices may be higher, please do go if you can. Don’t let the cinema experience became a Covid casualty.
Your Summer Cultural Calendar
What to watch, read, stream and dance to this summer...
1 of 25WATCH: Tenet
With British cinemas cautiously reopening from 4 July, the question is: will anyone actually want to sit in an airless room with a bunch of strangers? Christopher Nolan's Tenet – a mind-bending action extravaganza with John David Washington and Robert Pattinson – has been pushed back to 26 August.
2 of 25WATCH: Saint Frances
Saint Frances is a brilliant indie charmer that stars Kelly O'Sullivan (who also wrote the script) as a waitress whose life is changed forever when she is charged with the care of a six-year-old girl. Released in cinemas 17 July.
3 of 25WATCH: Proxima
In Proxima, Eva Green is an astronaut as committed to her career as she is to her eight-year-old daughter. Alice Winocour's beautiful film is a perfectly heightened study of the struggle faced by all working parents. Released in cinemas 31 July.
4 of 25WATCH: Bill & Ted Face the Music
Bill & Ted Face the Music is a sequel that comes 30 years (yes, sorry, 30 years) after the original, starring Keanu Reeves and the other one as middle-aged dads, still rocking and time travelling. Released in cinemas 21 August
5 of 25STREAM: Lungs at the Old Vic
Theatres won't be open any time soon, but Old Vic: In Camera brings a run of socially distanced performances of Lungs – starring Matt Smith and Claire Foy – streaming live, directly to your living room.
6 of 25LISTEN: Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding's fourth album, Brightest Blue (17 July), promises more synth pop bangers in the vein of current single, Power.
7 of 25LISTEN: Katy Perry
Katy Perry's as-yet-untitled album is out 14 August. Maybe she'll unveil the album title and baby name at the same time?
8 of 25LISTEN: Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey takes a break from causing Twitter controversies to release Chemtrails Over The Country Club on 5 September.
9 of 25LISTEN: Rihanna
A new Rihanna album has been heavily rumoured for months. 'I can't say when I'm going to drop,' she said in March, 'but I am very aggressively working on music.' Come on Riri, save our summer.
10 of 25WATCH: A Suitable Boy
Screenwriting legend Andrew Davies adapts Vikram Seth's bestselling book, about a young woman looking for love while establishing her own identity in post-Partition India. A Suitable Boy, BBC One, July
11 of 25WATCH: Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
A gruesome murder in 1930s Los Angeles sets the scene for this spookily epic ten-part drama, with Natalie Dormer as a sultry, shape-shifting supernatural demon.Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Sky One, July
12 of 25WATCH: Little Birds
This boldly sexy six-part drama stars Juno Temple and Hugh Skinner, in an adaptation of Anais Nin's collection of erotic short stories.Little Birds, Sky Atlantic, August
13 of 25WATCH: The Plot Against America
The Wire creator David Simon brings us a terrifying adaptation of the Philip Roth novel that imagines an alternate reality in which a far right candidate is voted President of the United States and forms an allegiance with the Nazis, starring Winona Ryder.The Plot Against America, Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, 14 July
14 of 25WATCH: Enola Holmes
Millie Bobby Brown stars as Sherlock's tenacious younger sister, on the trail of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter), in this film adaptation of Nancy Springer's novel.Enola Holmes, Netflix, August
15 of 25READ: The New Girl by Harriet Walker
This gripping tale of friendship and motherhood is the perfect summer read. The New Girl by Harriet Walker, 9 July
16 of 25READ: Who Cares Wins by Lily Cole
A manifesto for choosing optimism, by the inspiring model-turned-campaigner.Who Cares Wins by Lily Cole, out 30 July
17 of 25READ: Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O’Donoghue
A wry novel about family and friendship that is as dark as it is joyous. Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O'Donoghue, 6 August
18 of 25READ: How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes
This collection of essays is both insightful and reassuring.How Do We Know We're Doing It Right? by Pandora Sykes, 16 July
19 of 25READ: Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
A beautiful tale of a bright young girl facing dark family truths in rural Ohio.Betty by Tiffany McDaniel, 18 August
20 of 25READ: The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood
A memoir of life lived at full throttle, until motherhood changed everything.The Hungover Games by Sophie Heawood, 16 July
21 of 25READ: Olive by Emma Gannon
A novel about that moment when friends' life decisions set you adrift.Olive by Emma Gannon, 23 July
22 of 25READ: Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon
This brutal addiction memoir is ultimately uplifting and galvanising.Glorious Rock Bottom by Bryony Gordon, 6 August
23 of 25READ: Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
1950s suburbia is the setting for this devourable mystery, with a side of love story.Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, 9 July
24 of 25READ: Intimations by Zadie Smith
Six deeply personal essays about the experience of lockdown from one of the finest writers of our generation.Intimations by Zadie Smith, 28 July
25 of 25DISCOVER: The New Culture List by Crxss Platfxrm
A list of 18 up-and-coming artists who will be shaping the cultural landscape of the future, curated by Crxss Platfxrm, a digital platform dedicated to undiscovered street culture gems.