It’s hard to resist the aroma of movie theater popcorn. But even that hasn’t motivated some moviegoers to return to theaters as the pandemic grinds toward a third year.

And theater owners like Christopher Bistor of Showtime Cinemas in Newburgh are feeling the pain.

"This year has been kind of a struggle to say the least, being closed from January to Memorial Day," Bistor said.

And his sales took a real hit.

What You Need To Know

  • Christopher Bistor said his sales were down 81% for 2021

  • Bistor has tried to bring in revenue by offering drive-in movies and private rentals at his small, independently owned theater 

  • He worries about what will happen if COVID-19 cases continue to rise because that could delay the release of box office hits 

"As a whole for the year of 2021, we're down about 81%. Probably for the second half of the year, from Memorial Day on, we're down around 64%," said Bistor.

To bring in revenue, the theater offered private rentals, drive-in movies, anything to keep money flowing in.

Operating an independently owned theater hasn’t been easy. Bistor even worked a second job to bring in extra revenue. He has taken steps to keep customers safe, such as installing air filters and leather chairs that are easier to clean.

But fears over the omicron variant have customers feeling cautious again.

"They are using the hand sanitizer more frequently again than they were over the last several weeks, definitely wearing the masks," said Bistor.

But omicron hasn’t stopped all movie fans.

"I haven’t been to a theater in ages, so this is my first time in a theater in a long time," said Marvel fan Joel Martinez, who came to see Spiderman. "I am vaccinated, so I have that protection. I know that’s not guaranteed to protect against this variant, but I'm trying to stay positive."

Bistor worries that a rise in COVID-19 cases internationally could push back the release dates for big box office hits.

But even Spiderman didn’t bring in as many customers as he would have hoped.

"Spiderman was a huge release. It broke box office records for opening weekend. For us, it was probably under 60% of what we would have expected," said Bistor.

He's still hopeful the industry will rebound in the year ahead.

"Just knowing that there's light at the end of the tunnel, that patrons still want to come out and see movies in theaters and keeping this cinema here in this local area," said Bistor.