NATO, DGA, MPA, and the Creative Community Call For Aid To Movie Theaters

The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Majority Leader, U.S. Senate Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Charles Schumer The Honorable Kevin McCarthy

Democratic Leader, U.S. Senate Republican Leader, U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515

September 30, 2020

Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy: 

Thank you for your leadership at this challenging time for our country. As you consider forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislation, we ask you to prioritize assistance for the hardest-hit industries, like our country’s beloved movie theaters.

No doubt you are hearing from many, many businesses that need relief. Movie theaters are in dire straits, and we urge you to redirect unallocated funds from the CARES Act to proposals that help businesses that have suffered the steepest revenue drops due to the pandemic, or to enact new proposals such as the RESTART Act (S. 3814/H.R. 7481). Absent a solution designed for their circumstances, theaters may not survive the impact of the pandemic.

The pandemic has been a devastating financial blow to cinemas. 93% of movie theater companies had over 75% in losses in the second quarter of 2020. If the status quo continues, 69% of small and mid-sized movie theater companies will be forced to file for bankruptcy or to close permanently, and 66% of theater jobs will be lost. Our country cannot afford to lose the social, economic, and cultural value that theaters

provide.

The moviegoing experience is central to American life. 268 million people in North America went to the movies last year to laugh, cry, dream, and be moved together. Theaters are great unifiers where our nation’s most talented storytellers showcase their cinematic accomplishments. Every aspiring filmmaker, actor, and producer dreams of bringing their art to the silver screen, an irreplaceable experience that represents the pinnacle of filmmaking achievement.

As well as their critical cultural impact, theaters are economic force multipliers. In addition to the 150,000 employees working in cinemas nationwide, the industry supports millions of jobs in movie production and distribution, and countless others in surrounding restaurants and retailers that rely on theaters for foot traffic. Movie theaters are also leaders in employing underrepresented groups, including people with

disabilities, senior citizens, and first-time job holders. Cinemas are an essential industry that represent the best that American talent and creativity have to offer. But now we fear for their future.

Theaters need specific relief targeted to their circumstances. We urge you to come together on a bipartisan solution that provides this relief, by reallocating unspent funds from the CARES Act toward programs designed for industries like movie theaters, or by enacting new proposals such as the RESTART Act. These solutions would fulfill Congress’s intent in helping severely distressed sectors of the economy and ensure that our resources are focused on the industries that need them the most. 

Please fight for our country’s beloved and essential cinemas by including relief for them in any forthcoming COVID-19 legislation. Thank you for your leadership and for considering this request.

Sincerely,

John Fithian, President & CEO, NATO

Russ Hollander, National Executive Director, DGA

Charles Rivkin, Chairman & CEO, MPA

Thomas Schlamme, President, DGA

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje/ Agustin Almodóvar/ Pedro Almodóvar/ Wes Anderson/ Judd Apatow/ Jon Avnet/ Sean Baker/ Noah Baumbach/ Michael Bay/ Susanne Bier/ Barbara Broccoli/ James Cameron/ Antonio Campos/ Damien Chazelle/ Jon M. Chu/ Sofia Coppola/ Alfonso Cuarón/ Lee Daniels/ Dean Devli/ Clint Eastwood/ Andrew Erwin/ Jon Erwin/ Ben Falcone/ Paul Feig/ Shana Feste/ Scott Frank/ Cary Joji Fukunaga/ Greta Gerwig/ Evan Goldberg/ Paul Greengrass/ Leslie Greif/ Luca Guadagnino/ Catherine Hardwicke/ Alma Har’el/ Albert Hughes/ Allen Hughes/ Ron Howard/ Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu/ Barry Jenkins/ Patty Jenkins/ Rian Johnson/ Miranda July/ Nicole Kassell/ Jon Landau/ Francis Lawrence/ Mimi Leder/ Ang Lee/ Rob Letterman/ Shawn Levy/ Richard Linklater/ Melissa McCarthy/ James Mangold/ Michael Mann/ Sam Mendes/ Adam McKay/ Steve McQueen/ Ted Melfi/ Reed Morano/ Christopher Nolan/ Jordan Peele/ Todd Phillips/ Ivan Reitman/ Jason Reitman/ Guy Ritchie/ Jay Roach/ Seth Rogen/ Joachim Rønning/ Michael R. Roskam/ David O. Russell/ Ridley Scott/ Martin Scorsese/ Peter Segal/ M. Night Shyamalan/ Zack Snyder/ 

Steven Soderbergh/ Joey Soloway/ Steven Spielberg/ David E. Talbert/ Betty Thomas/ Emma Thomas/ Liesl Tommy/ Denis Villeneuve/ Taika Waititi/ James Wan/ Lulu Wang/ Chris Weitz/ Paul Weitz/ Michael G. Wilson/ Edgar Wright/ Joe Wright/ Cathy Yan/ David Yates

ABOUT NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 33,000 additional screens in 97 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a second office in Los Angeles, California, NATO represents its members in the heart of the nation’s capital as well as the center of the entertainment industry. From these vantage points, NATO helps exhibition influence federal policy-making and work with movie distributors on all areas of mutual concern, from new technologies to legislation, marketing, and First Amendment issues. www.natoonline.org

West Side Story, 2020 by Steven Spielberg

Hollywood fears movie theaters 'may not survive' pandemic - Los Angeles Times

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-09-30/hollywood-fears-for-movies-theaters-survival-amid-covid-19-pandemic