For 39 years, Rich Adams has been the owner of Scotia Cinema. It’s a second-run movie theater, which typically offers $5 tickets for showings.

"This is what a movie looks like nowadays," said Adams, as he takes a hard drive out of a box that UPS just dropped off.

On it, it has the movie "The War with Grandpa." It’s the first movie Adams has received in seven months. Cinemas has been closed for a majority of the COVID-19 pandemic, until earlier this month when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced it can reopen in a limited capacity.

"I’ve been coming here every day. Even a couple times a day," Adams said. "I’ve been doing deep cleaning. We’ve been setting up for the evitable reopening."

With guidance and the green light from the state, Adams is making sure everything is good to go for its reopening. But Adams doesn’t have the second-run option right now, which is why he’s showing "The War with Grandpa."

"It got very good, like, audience reviews, so we’re hoping people enjoy it and we hope people are ready to come back to the movies," Adams said.

He has only one screen with 320 seats. But only 50 people will be allowed in, which is about 15% capacity. Masks will have to be worn at all times, and the theater will be cleaned between showings.

"Hopefully that puts everybody at ease, that everything is going to be very clean, and very safe," Adams said.

On opening day, there’s a line with about half a dozen people waiting to get inside. As the clock hits 4 p.m., 15 minutes before its schedule showing, the doors open, and customer head in to purchase tickets and snacks.

"It’s a comedy, and I think I might have seen a preview," said one couple. "But I think I would’ve come no matter what was playing."

With snacks in hand, they’ll settle into their favorite seats. Just a handful of people are working the first showing, including Adams who’s running the ticket booth.

"It kind of seems like I never left," Adams said. "I’ve been waiting for this day for seven months. Finally here and it feels like I never left."

There are 10 showings this week with tickets at $9 for adults and $6 for kids.  

He’s off to a slow start, but he’s hoping it’ll pick up. Adams is just happy to be back. As the clock reads 4:15 p.m., the trailers are starting and Adams is another film closer to four decades of running a cinema.