A moment that many movie lovers will appreciate is happening on Monday as Cinema Twin is reopening its doors after a long COVID-19 pause.

Kathy Pratt is the owner of Cinema Twin in Swift Current. She says that she's excited about the reopening, and saw the pause caused by the pandemic as a way to get a lot of extra work done on the theatre that had been difficult to organize while open.

"Everything in the building has been repainted and we've got new tills coming in and so we'll be able to do debit and visa. And eventually will be able to do a loyalty program. We can sell concession at the box-office and we can sell box-office at the concession. So we've got so much more flexibility that we're able to do now."

She added as well that the renovation of a "birthday party" room, although they are not able to be used immediately due to COVID-19 restrictions, was nice to be able to get done during the closure.

As with most businesses, changes are of course expected in order to safely comply with public health orders regarding physical distancing and sanitization.

Sanitization stations will be plentiful both inside and outside the theatre. Traffic control at the concession, plexiglass barriers as well touchless pre-ordering of seats and concession snacks.

"We've blocked off every other row in our auditoriums as well as seats down every aisle. We have guidelines set up for how we're going to exit the theatres. So just kind of like when you go to church will do a zipper; one row at a time so that everybody can exit and keep their space and their distance. If people want to wear masks they certainly can. It's not a mandatory thing here. Our staff will be wearing them, and they're also behind (plexiglass). We've got the lobby set up with ropes and spaces to stand so we can keep everybody separated in the lobby as well. We are encouraging one person to be in charge of the ordering."

As well, she added that the theatre will be conducting regular staff temperature checks and are asking patrons to arrive no more than 20 minutes before the film is scheduled and to please assist in making the extra sanitation required between movie showings faster by cleaning up after themselves.

One of the looming questions with theatres in the province reopening was what exactly was going to be playing. With movie studios putting new releases on hold until COVID-19 case numbers decline in the United States, Theatres in the rest of the world are left to fend for themselves.

Pratt says that the film companies have given theatres a lot of flexibility in that regard; which can almost be considered a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have the allowance to pull some classics from the vault, changing showtimes and run durations; allowing for a variety that is normally not seen outside of smaller niche cinemas.

"We're going to go into the classic vault and bring up some like Grease and Jurassic Park and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Wayne's World; some of the classics that are timeless. Maybe it's a movie that you went to on your first date. We never get an opportunity to bring these pictures back to the big screen."

They've run polls on their Facebook page asking patrons what they would like to see; classics vs newer fare and the consensus seems to be a mixture of both, and so that is what they are hoping to accomplish.

Their first few shows beginning Monday, as listed on their Facebook page, are Trolls World Tour, Jurrasic Park, and the new Invisible Man.

Most importantly, Pratt says, is that she wants people to have fun with the older movies.

"We're going to do a double feature of Back to the Future One and Two, and we're just going to throw it up and if people want to come dressed up; if we do an eighties theme night if they want to come dressed like the 80s or whatever. We just want to have some fun with what we are able to play, and just brings some smiles back to people's faces because it's been a long haul."