We have been on a mission to try and find the safest places to find entertainment in the Macomb Township area for its residents. We feel as though we may have found another way to have fun with a small group of friends or family while still staying safe during the pandemic. A few weeks ago, Governor Gretchen Whitmer allowed the reopening of many places, among those places were movie theatres in the state. Last weekend we decided to visit Emagine Macomb on 23 mile and Hayes to see the changes that they have made to their facility to provide a safe experience to the community. 

  In order to get tickets to see a movie, you first must go to Emagine’s website (www.emagine-entertainment.com), because tickets are not available to be bought in person. When on the site, you pick the movie you would like to see, and the time and date that you will be going. Afterwards, you will pick your seating, which is spaced out between parties to maximize social distancing. With an extremely easy to navigate website, Emagine makes the ticket buying experience under COVID-19 protocols as fast and efficient as ever before.  

   Upon entering, the first thing you notice is the significant absence of people. Due to the pandemic and Hollywood putting most of their movies on streaming services, theaters are in a sort of movie “drought” where there are not many new blockbuster hits being released. The lower number of people in the theater, in turn, means that potential for exposure to the virus is at a minimum. Concessions are open to movie goers with all their options from before the pandemic still offered. One new practice the theater is taking is that the concession stand now closes at 10 PM which means that you will not be able to refill your bucket after that time. Most importantly the popcorn was just as good, if not better, then the last time that we were able to have it. 

   The movie we went to see is The Mad Hatter. All 3 of us had hugely different opinions on this movie. We could all agree that the movie makes you infer a lot of things on your own. For some, you might enjoy having to figure things out like a mystery. But for others, you may not enjoy that in a movie. The Mad Hatter, which is a horror movie, will for sure creep you out. Since there are a limited number of movies in theaters right now, especially in the horror genre, we recommend giving the movie a try if you enjoy a good scare. Overall, if you do not enjoy mystery/horror movies we would not recommend this movie for you. 

   As previously mentioned, Hollywood has begun to put their newly made films directly onto streaming services the same day that they release in theaters. This has called into question how much longer theaters might be able to remain open for. People are understandably still hesitant to leave their homes for nonessential things, so it makes sense for the production companies to release their films onto services for a wider audience to enjoy. We can all recall the excitement of going to the theater as a kid to see the newest Pixar film or going to see avengers on opening night. Us 3 all agree that it would be very unfortunate to see theatres no longer be an integral part to our entertainment. 

   In conclusion, we think that going to the movies is a wonderful way to find a source of entertainment with a small group. With the covid protocols, it seemed very safe to us. It was genuinely nice being able to have the sense of normalcy back in our lives by going to the movies with friends.