Movie Theater Owners: We Need a Bailout, Too

LOS ANGELES — With movie theaters across the country shutting their doors and furloughing the majority of their hourly workers, the National Association of Theater Owners asked Congress and the Trump administration on Wednesday for relief measures meant to help multiplexes stay solvent until business can resume.

In an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the top 10 theater chains in the United States have shut down or are in the process of closing. Once the planned shutdown is complete, 89 percent of screens across the country will be dark.

The National Association of Theater Owners, a trade group representing more than 33,000 screens in 50 states, asked the federal government for loan guarantees to help the industry through a time when strangers cannot gather in the dark to see the latest films. The association has also asked for tax benefits to help theater owners pay their workers and make up for their losses.

“The Trump administration is considering loan guarantees and other benefits for the airline industry, which is composed of huge corporations and salaried workers,” said John Fithian, the organization’s chief executive. “We would ask that they also consider the movie theater industry, an important part of the cultural fabric for our country, and our 150,000 employees who are hourly workers.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/business/media/movie-theaters-bailout-coronavirus.html