On March 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered bars, restaurants and non-essential businesses closed for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19. The next day, Penn Cinema in Lititz turned off its projectors.
The Lititz-based theater chain announced on its website that, because of the state-mandated closure of entertainment venues, it would close starting March 17 through at least March 30. The closing included its flagship location in Lititz. Ticket holders for affected shows were asked to contact the theater by email for refunds.
A chain closing in stages
Penn Cinema had three locations at the time. Its Huntingdon Valley theater in Montgomery County had already closed on March 13, after county officials ordered entertainment venues there to shut down. Montgomery County had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania in those early weeks. The chain’s Delaware location stayed open for the time being, since that state had not yet issued a similar order.
The two-week closure everyone hoped for became much longer. Statewide restrictions on gatherings and indoor entertainment stretched through the spring and summer of 2020, and theaters across the country stayed closed for months. Hollywood studios postponed major releases or sent them straight to streaming services for home viewing, leaving theaters that did reopen with little to show.
A Lititz landmark
Penn Cinema opened at 541 Airport Road in 2006 as a 10-screen theater, near Lancaster Airport just outside the borough. It added four screens in 2008 and an IMAX auditorium in November 2010, and it became one of the most popular theaters in Lancaster County, known for comfortable seating, the big IMAX screen and premieres that drew crowds. The opening night of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December 2015, for example, filled the theater with costumed fans.
The theater also spread its brand beyond Lititz, with locations in Montgomery County and on the Wilmington riverfront in Delaware, an unusual reach for a company based in a Lancaster County borough.
For Lititz, the theater also served as a gathering place: a spot for families on rainy weekends, for students on Friday nights and for older moviegoers at matinees.
Reopening
The theater stayed dark far longer than the two weeks first announced.
Like many independent and regional theaters, Penn Cinema reopened in stages as restrictions eased, with reduced capacity, distanced seating and extra cleaning. Attendance returned slowly as studios resumed releasing films in theaters. Today the Lititz theater at 541 Airport Road continues to operate, with IMAX showings, first-run movies and special screenings.
Its survival was not guaranteed. Several national chains went through bankruptcy proceedings during and after the pandemic, and many small theaters closed permanently. Locally owned operators had fewer resources but often more flexibility, renting auditoriums for private screenings and selling concessions to go during the closures.
Lessons from the shutdown
The early weeks of the pandemic showed how quickly a business that depends on crowds can lose all of its revenue. Theaters, restaurants and event venues were among the first to close and the last to fully reopen. Many survived on loans, grants and creative changes to how they operated. Pennsylvania’s own response included a $60 million loan program for small businesses announced in March 2020, which we covered in Gov. Announces $60 Million in Loans for PA Small Businesses.
Moviegoers can help local theaters by buying tickets directly from the theater’s own site, joining loyalty programs and choosing concessions, which carry much of a theater’s profit.
Penn Cinema’s return gave Lititz back a familiar Friday-night tradition. For current showtimes and special events, check the theater’s website.
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