Maya Cinemas in Bakersfield recently opened again on Friday, Oct. 16.
Maya Cinemas has implemented various safety rules to keep their guests safe in each theater.
“We have instituted an automated system that will place empty seats on each side of you or your party,” according to Maya Cinemas’ website. “Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting solutions will be used that meet or exceed standards put forth by the CDC.”
The theater also requires that each guest wear a face-covering throughout the theater until they are seated in the auditorium, as stated on the Maya Cinemas website.
Even though the theaters have opened, the movies that were set to release at the start of the pandemic are still not being shown. “Since new releases have been pushed back due to the pandemic, we will have a diverse mix of movies,” according to Maya Cinemas’ website. “We will feature new films as they are released but will also play Flashback Cinema classics as well as anime, independent, and foreign-language movies.”
The Cinemas’ website explained when purchasing a ticket, one can either go to the ticket booth and see which times are available or have a contactless purchase by using their online app. However, there are select times for each method.
When going online, you see two times for all the movies. Those times range from the evening tonight. When calling to hear a list of showtimes, you are given two other times, which are morning to midday.
I went to see a movie and bought my tickets online. Through the website, I was given two times, which were either 4 or 7 pm. Once I selected the movie and the time I wanted, I was directed to a page that showed a limited number of seats.
The ones that were in grey were not available and the ones that had been crossed out were classified as the empty seats, to maintain social distancing. Once purchased, the tickets are then sent to your email and can be shown inside to redeem.
The ticket pricing was still the same and everything was still being sold at the concession. The Cinemas’ website also mentioned that the Energy Gaming center inside the theater will still be open as well.
“Some games that are more difficult to sanitize will not be available,” as stated by Maya Cinemas. “A powerful antimicrobial coating called Bioprotect has been applied to all games control and frequently touched surfaces.”
The theater still offers the same services but has added various safety measures to ensure the safety and health of their guest as their number one priority.