John Fithian, head of the National Association of Theater Owners, had some dire words for the United State’s government. According to Fithian, theaters across the country are on the verge of bankruptcy, and need financial assistance immediately. Congress is currently on track to consider the “Save Our Stages” bill, a bipartisan relief effort meant to allocate billions to theaters and concert venues. According to Fithian, if the bill isn’t passed, many exhibition centers all over the U.S. will be forced to close their doors for good.
Unfortunately for Fithian, his options are limited in terms of reaching out to the government. Some have suggested that he reach out to President-Elect Biden and discuss how theaters could be helped as part of his transition into office. However, Fithian has argued that it would have been premature to do so before a winner was declared, meaning they haven’t yet pursued that avenue, and Biden doesn’t have any official power until sworn in regardless. Meanwhile, reaching out to President Trump could be equally pointless, as he will be entering the “Lame Duck” session of his Presidency, which typically means he will be at his least able to influence the House and Senate.
Currently Fithian’s hopes rest on the current session of Congress to pass his bill. The bigger issue is that the relief is being considered as one part of a much larger relief package, which the two parties have been struggling to compromise on. The Democrats have been very eager to pass more comprehensive relief packages, while the Republicans have been hesitant, and Fithian’s bill has almost no hope of being passed as a separate entity.
For Fithian, the stakes are high. When asked about what could happen if the bill doesn’t pass, he suggested: “A significant percentage of our members — probably around 70% of our mid and small sized members — will either confront bankruptcy reorganization or the likelihood of going out of business entirely by sometime in January.” For the time being however, he says that whether or not theaters even bother to stay open relies on having a big release to show. “If Wonder Woman holds its release date, you’ll see a lot of theaters stay open. If it moves, you’ll see a lot more theaters close back down.”
Source: Variety
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