For $50, you can rent a movie theater for you and 19 of your friends
Share this post:
For $50, you and 19 of your closest-yet-socially-distant friends can watch a classic movie in the luxury seats at the Waterworks Cinema – a new promotion from MovieScoop meant to help people get out of the house and the heat but still stay safe amid the covid-19 pandemic.
The offer went up on MovieScoop’s Facebook page on Friday – and a week’s worth of rentals were sold out within 15 minutes, said spokesperson Liz Harper.
“We didn’t anticipate the massive response,” Harper said. “And we’re just so happy. People do want to get to the theaters, people do want to get out – we see that from the drive-in numbers.”
MovieScoop, an independent Pittsburgh-based chain, also operates theaters in Cranberry and Indiana, as well as two in Ohio. The Waterworks location, near Aspinwall, opened at limited capacity late last month. While that location and those in Ohio are currently the only ones offering the $50 rentals, theaters in the Indiana Mall and in Cranberry will soon also offer the deal.
Harper said the response has been great – as evidenced by the near-instant sellout.
“People are happy with it – they feel safe,” she said.
Emily Ramsey, general manager of the Waterworks Cinema, said they were inundated with inquiries and interest.
“It was a huge hit with the community,” she said. “Everybody’s looking for something to do.”
She said the rental offers a more controlled environment than going to a normal movie showing, which has been appealing to families.
“Plus, it’s always just fun to have that VIP experience,” Ramsey said. “Not a lot of people get to do that.”
Harper said it’s a chance to get together with one’s “quarantine pod.” The idea of a “pod” involves a small group that has decided to treat each other as safe, according to NPR. That is, they do not take social distancing precautions around each other but do take those precautions with the outside world.
Masks are required for guests and employees inside the theater, with an exception for eating or drinking. Movie times are spaced out so each theater can undergo a deep cleaning and so movie crowds for one show time aren’t congregating in the lobby with crowds for a different show time.
Harper said the coming week will see more rental times offered for the $50 luxury rentals, which can be made on MovieScoop’s website.
She said other theaters have had similar offers for upward of $300.
“That’s a lot of money,” she said. “We thought, ‘Let’s just do something more fun.’ ”