The cultural community oscillates between frustration and resignation following the closure until further notice of theaters and cinemas due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The presence of the Omicron variant will not have escaped anyone’s notice in recent days, but many in the industry still believed that the introduction of the vaccine passport would protect them from further closure.
“It’s still culture that takes the brunt. We’ll end up driving people crazy! Quebec is managed like a hospital, depending on the number of beds. But it is not a viable model of society, ”launches Louis Dussault, president of K-Films Amérique.
Overtaken by the announcement made by the Minister of Health on Monday, this veteran of the film industry was unable to say later in the day what would happen to the films he distributes in Quebec . However, there is no question of sending them directly to online platforms.
“Netflix is slashing the champagne. Since the start of the pandemic, they have taken advantage of the misery of our industry, without paying taxes. However, there is no point in putting films on platforms, where they will not benefit from promotion, unlike if it is released in theaters, ”explains Mr. Dussault, who is of the opinion that cinemas pay unfairly for them. delays in administering a third dose of vaccine.
New blow
For now, the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) remains unable to determine how many outbreaks are attributable to theaters and theaters across the province. However, we know that people who participate in recreational activities, which also include gyms and bars, are the source of 5% of outbreaks in Quebec today, against nearly 40% for elementary schools.
“The measures are unfounded. It shows the amateurism of this government. With the capacity reduced to 50%, people were already spaced in a well ventilated area where they did not move. Was it really more dangerous than lining up in line at Costco? Laughs Vincent Guzzo, owner of the chain of cinemas of the same name.
Since the start of the pandemic, the hot businessman has criticized health measures. Except this time, the blow is even harder to take, because theaters remain open for the moment in most of the main markets. This means that Quebec risks being left behind, while large American productions, like the fourth part of the saga The matrix, will indeed take the poster in the coming weeks elsewhere in the world.
“We will put the film back in theaters when we can reopen it, but the buzz will be passed. And the longer you are closed, the more likely it is that someone in Russia, or elsewhere, has made a copy for distribution on the Internet. “
The closing of movie theaters is also bad news for Quebec films. Starring Louis Morissette and Antoine Bertrand, Goodbye happiness, by Ken Scott, was to be the big hit in theaters this holiday season, but the Omicron variant completely undermines its commercial potential.
“We will relaunch the film when we are able, but it will be to limit the losses”, indicates the producer, Christian Larouche, who is already thinking of postponing the release of his films scheduled for this spring.
There will therefore certainly be congestion in the cinemas when it reopens, already that we were still catching up with all the outings delayed during the previous waves.
Understanding, but disappointment
Despite everything, Christian Larouche recognizes that the new measures are undoubtedly justified, like Céline Marcotte, general manager of the Théâtre du Rideau vert, who reluctantly has to cancel the 12 remaining performances of his end-of-year show, Reviewed and corrected.
“The only inconsistency is that restaurants can stay open until 10 p.m., whereas in the theater, people don’t drink and don’t take off their masks. But if not, I understand the announcements, because we can see how serious the situation is ”, continues Mme Marcotte, who is also delighted that the actors are for the moment able to continue rehearsing for the start of the winter.
However, the fate of the winter programming in theaters is more than uncertain, as the Legault government has not put forward a reopening date. “We have no idea how long this will last, and that’s what is most worrying. To organize shows, you have to be able to plan. We do not know when it will resume, in the spring, in the summer, in the winter? »Asks Nadine Medawar, Executive Director of the Regroupement québécois de la danse.
By the time the theaters reopen, many artists could see their contracts go by the wayside and find themselves in an extremely delicate financial situation. In this difficult context, the federal government is once again called upon to improve financial assistance.
We have no idea how long this will last, and that is what is most worrying. To organize shows, you have to be able to plan.
“We find ourselves in a vacuum just before the holidays,” explains Luc Fortin, president of the Guild of Musicians. The PCU, the PCRE, the special fund, it’s over. There is something written in Federal Minister Chrystia Freeland’s draft, but for now, it’s a draft. The project would receive $ 300 per week, but we do not know when it starts. “