The Kamloops Film Society says it has permission from Interior Health to resume private bookings at the Paramount Theatre for up to six people from the same household.
Executive Director Dusan Magdolen says there will be safety measures in place, and he notes public movie screenings will remain cancelled for the foreseeable future.
“The order, the way it was worded, it seemed like we had to shut down all of our operations but once we were able to check in with Interior Health, they allowed us to do private bookings,” he told NL News.
“We want to be following the rules and be able to keep going even if the orders stayed the same. It does give us some revenue and keeps us relevant.”
Private screenings at the Paramount Theatre had been cancelled since November 24 when B.C. brought in restrictions on movie theatres.
Magdolen previously told NL News the Kamloops Film Society had to cancel about two dozen private screenings in December, noting he was also disappointed by ‘gaps’ in the COVID-19 provincial orders.
“We already have some bookings for [Valentine’s Day weekend], you know people who were keeping their finger’s crossed that maybe on Feb. 5, we’d be able to bring private screenings back,” he said. “But because we made this call to Interior Health we were actually able to get it going earlier, so we’ll be letting those people know that their bookings are good to go.”
Like it was in the fall, Magdolen says there are two options – a private screening for up to two people for $150 plus tax for two-and-a-half hours of theatre time as well as popcorn, drinks, and candy. Groups of up to six people from the same household can get two-and-a-half hours of theatre time and snacks for $225 plus tax.
People will have to bring their own BluRay, DVD, or device with an HDMI output to watch the movie of your choice though the Kamloops Film Society can try to source a copy, if needed.
“Private bookings actually we’re trying to do two weeks out, so we can schedule staff and that sort of thing. Obviously, given that we’ve just launched it again, we will be a little more flexible with that schedule,” Magdolen said. “We’ll probably still want at least a handful of days of notice, so this coming weekend and onwards probably we’ll be back.”
You’ll find the latest information on private screenings at Paramount Theatre here.
