Coming Attraction: Exchange Theaters Gradually Reopening
With COVID restrictions easing at many installations, the Exchange’s 60 movie theaters are in various stages of reopening, with more than 50% worldwide welcoming moviegoers again.
“Seeing a first-run movie—especially when serving overseas—is vital part of the Exchange benefit for military communities” said Services and Food Directorate Vice President Darryl Porter. “The Exchange is committed to the safety of military communities as theaters reopen and follows motion-picture industry standards as well Department of Defense and installation safety protocols.”
Customers stand in line at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center Exchange Reel Time Theater on June 25, 2021, waiting to buy their first movie ticket since the theater’s closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy photo)
Martin Tschui, a Kaiserslautern Military Community Center Exchange Reel Time Theater supervisor who has been in the theater business since 1986, is thrilled to get the box office reopened.
“Opening day was very exciting,” he said. “I could see that our customers were happy to be watching a movie on the big screen again. Everyone has been understanding about the limited capacity, and there has been a lot of positive feedback.”
Service members were also excited to return to the cinema.
On July 5, Navy Corpsman HM2 Anthony Ohlson, laboratory technician for the 3d Medical Battalion, took his family and a neighbor’s daughter to the Camp Foster Movie Theater for the matinee showing of “The Boss Baby: Family Business.” The theater reopened its doors on June 19 for new release movies after being closed since May 2020 to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 virus. (From left to right: Jada Ohlson, Isabelle Smith, Bella Ohlson, Maisie Ohlson and Anthony Ohlson) (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark A. Kauffman)
“I think it’s awesome that they’re opening back up,” said Airman 1st Class Michael Martin, a radio frequency transmission systems specialist with the 52nd Communications Squadron, 52nd Mission Support Group at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. “To watch a movie on the big screen—you just can’t get that same experience at home.”
At Camp Foster in Okinawa, Navy Corpsman HM2 Anthony Ohlson, laboratory technician for the 3D Medical Battalion, took his wife, two daughters and a neighbor’s daughter to a matinee of “The Boss Baby: Family Business.” The Camp Foster theater, which closed in May 2020, reopened June 19.
“My family and I were very happy when we heard that the Camp Foster movie theater was going to reopen,” Ohlson said. “We used to come here all the time, but the theater has been closed for so long, we forgot what the last movie we watched here was.”
Master Sgt. Gustavo Delgado, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36’s gunnery sergeant, said that the Camp Foster theater’s reopening brought a comfort of home closer for Marines stationed nearby.
“The Camp Foster movie theater gives my Marines living in the barracks and without a car on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma another option on what to do during their liberty,” Delgado said. “Kadena’s movie theater has been reopened longer, and it’s only 30 minutes away. To catch a taxi there and back gets quite costly for my junior Marines. But with Camp Foster theater open it’s only a 10-minute trip.”
Sgt. 1st Class Taresha Hill and Staff Sgt. Mark Kauffman contributed to this story.
