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[title]Like most entertainment businesses and venues, Bangkok Screening Room (BKKSR) in Saladaeng found itself in a sticky situation when the lockdown was imposed. The local independent cinema house has been unable to receive guests since March 18. In order to survive, it started offering movie packages at a 40 percent discount, valid for 12 months after it reopens. All active BKKSR memberships will also extended, and any new memberships purchased during this temporary closure will be valid for 12 months from the reopening date. “It’s a deal we’ve never done before and it will be a loss for sure, but we think it’s only fair for our customers,” says founder and operations manager Sarinya “Mew” Manamuti. BKKSR also had to push back the showing dates of some films.
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the city, BKKSR was planning to pursue its annual LGBT film festival in June. “If the pandemic subsides, we will throw the festival, but for now, everything is uncertain. We just want to get back on our feet first,” Sarinya explains.
She personally thinks that the film industry will survive, especially with the availability of many streaming providers. But the businesswoman is a bit unsure about the immediate future of entertainment venues, citing expected changes in consumer behavior and their need for some measure of safety when they go out in public again. “We have to provide assurance for customers and it’s going to take time.”
Post-lockdown, BKKSR will most likely comply with the strict measures suggested by the World Health Organization and prepare for a reopening with an intense cleaning procedure. It also plans to limit the amount of guests per screening and to implement a seating system that follows social distancing mandates. “We think these measures would have to be put in place until next year. However, we also think that the situation will get better. We still have hope, and we will push forward.”