Wonderland Cinema prepares for shutdown just weeks after re-opening

NILES, Mich. -- Another industry forced to close as part of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’s latest epidemic order are entertainment venues like movie theaters – which were just given the OK to reopen only five weeks ago.

“We were really excited because people love movies and it’s a great way to escape whatever is happening in the world,” said Scott Moore, owner of Moore Theaters.

First construction, then retail to salons, Moore watched every industry in Michigan start to re-open for seven months before movie theaters finally got their turn October 9.

Moore owns multiple theaters throughout Michigan, including Wonderland Cinema in Niles, and had developed a COVID-19 preparedness plan that had been applied seamlessly since reopening.

But just when they were getting settled back in, news hit that they’d have to close for three weeks after being open for just over one month.

“It took seven months to get us open, to be the last one and now we’re back five weeks later, closed for three weeks, I mean we understand,  we want the public to be safe,” said Moore.

But theaters like Wonderland now have to weigh their options as for how to bring in revenue and the cold weather limits their ways to get creative.

“I believe Moore Theaters will handle round two, we have some things in place and that we’ve been planning on doing and making sure that we can survive and keep going forward while making sure everybody’s safe,” said Moore.

Wonderland plans to do drive-thru theater food like they did in the summer.