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For the First Time Since the Pandemic Began, I Went to See a Movie in the Theater
Man, I missed the popcorn… but not the crowds.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic began, you would have easily found me in the movie theaters constantly. In my early 20’s, I would often go see movies every week, sometimes viewing more than one movie a day. And even as I got older and started having more “responsibilities” (full-time jobs, bills to pay, etc. and so forth), I would still find time to see the movies that I wanted to see, usually more than once in the theater; my record is 9 times for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and for movies like Guardians of the Galaxy I went twice in one day. It’s safe to say I’m a movie theater fan.
But as with everything else when the pandemic began, my movie theater jaunts came to an abrupt end; not only was it not safe to sit in a crowded theater for two hours or more, it also was impossible in my area as the theaters were forced to close their doors (and for some, we feared they may not be able to reopen).
I remember all too well the last two movies I saw on the big screen; my wife and I did a double feature in early March, watching Birds of Prey and Onward. The theater for the former was almost empty, and in the latter, we were the only patrons. At that time, COVID wasn’t nearly as…