Edgar Wright on the importance of protecting theaters following coronavirus

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, we've seen studios cancel productions, push back release dates, as well as the closure of just about every theater out there. At some point in the future, life will return to normal, but the sad fact is that not every business will survive, and LAST NIGHT IN SOHO writer/director Edgar Wright penned an essay for Empire expressing his hope that audiences will show up when theaters open their doors once again, and how we can help to save our favourite theaters right now.

"One of my favourite things to do is sit in the dark watching a movie," Wright said. "Whether I am with loved ones, a group of friends or just all on my lonesome (but with the tasty company of some Cadbury Dairy Milk Giant Buttons), going to the cinema has been the closest thing I have to a religion in my life. Sometimes people use the word escapism as a negative term, but there is real pleasure in being transported when the lights go down." Wright continued:

The ongoing pandemic on this planet has made that experience a little darker than I care for, as silver-screen projector lights the world over are being switched off. Before this crisis I could, like many, appreciate the convenience of watching movies at home, but deep down for me, really experiencing a movie meant getting my arse off the sofa, going to the cinema, sitting down with friends or strangers and appreciating the flickering art (or trash) up on the big screen.

So I dearly hope, as a fan of the cinema, that any light at the end of the tunnel of this period in history includes the Xenon bulb that so many of us worship. Since big-screen exhibition has fought in recent years to combat the comforts of home cinema, the climb back from this shuttering of picture palaces may be tougher than ever, especially for many independent cinemas that you may cherish. So how can you, a fan of cinema, help the big screens out there that you adore even as their doors stay closed?

Edgar Wright suggested that one way of showing your support is to become a member of your favourite theater, either by buying a membership for yourself, or for someone close to you. "Consider, if you can afford to, not asking for your unlimited subscription to be refunded," Wright said. "Yes, you may not be able to go back in the coming months, but you’ll feel better for having helped now than if you later found your local church of cinema had been forced to close for good. I myself have been buying memberships to cinemas I frequent that I hadn’t already joined. This is not a luxury that everyone can afford, but for those who can, think of the many hard-working staff at your favourite cinemas who may have just lost their jobs. This might help ensure they have a place of work to return to." As Wright mentions, not everyone can afford to do this; many of us are struggling to keep ourselves and our family above water during these times, but hopefully, the light at the end of the tunnel will be approaching sooner rather than later.

Edgar Wright's next film, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, is a psychological thriller set in London which has been influenced by both Nicolas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW and Roman Polanski's REPULSION. The film is currently slated for a September 25, 2020 release.