As Canada tries to shut its doors on COVID-19, the city of Windsor’s movie theatres have done the same to help prevent local spreading of the pandemic. Movie theatres and special event screenings have been postponed or cancelled due to the emergency. Here is a quick summary of what’s happening so far with the local theatres.
Windsor Film Society has postponed their upcoming Friday March 20 screening of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. Recall, that for the U of W Alumni Filmmakers Series the screenings were being presented downtown at the Armouries – School of Creative Arts building. All non-essential activities at the University of Windsor have been cancelled or postponed due to dealing with the pandemic. You can follow Windsor Film Society on Facebook, to see the latest updates to learn when this event will be rescheduled.
Following the announcement from the University, another screening, The 46th University of Windsor Film Festival and CMF Gala, has also been postponed. Follow the event on Facebook to see when it will be rescheduled.
WIFF 365 has cancelled their upcoming screenings for March and April. The affected screenings are: MAFIA INC on Thursday, March 19; KUESSIPAN on Thursday, April 9; and THE TRAITOR on Thursday, April 9. Refunds will be released for purchased tickets.
‘Movie Nights at the Chrysler’s screening of The Goonies on April 2 has also been cancelled. The cancellation puts a halt on their new plan to show weekly movies. When the health crisis is over, they will send out a media release for the summer movie season. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram to learn when the new summer movie schedule is released.
Lakeshore Cinemas, in Tecumseh, has also decided to close it’s doors indefinitely, due to the concern that COVID-19 will spread locally.
To cap it all off, the big theatres are even closing their doors. Cineplex announced earlier this week online that, “Based on the publicly stated guidance from multiple public health authorities, including recent government directives and the escalating dangers of community spread, we are temporarily closing our network of entertainment venues. This includes the closure of all locations of The Rec Room and Playdium, as well as our entire circuit of 165 theatres across Canada beginning tonight through to April 2, 2020.” – Ellis Jacob, President and CEO, Cineplex.
This page will be updated as I learn about more cancellations or the details of when postponed events have been rescheduled. Until that time, follow the recommended guidelines for health and safety. Dust off those old DVD’s to keep you company during the coming period of hibernation as we wait for this emergency crisis to pass. I recommend Outbreak, the classic 1995 thriller starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Morgan Freeman.