Although the main economic businesses are gradually reopening their doors here in England and life is slowly resuming some kind of normality, it is undoubted that the forced lockdown has changed the rules of consumption and lifestyles, depriving us of all those activities we used to do.
From a drink after work in the city center, to playing billiards with friends on Friday nights, to a night at the disco, to a movie at the cinema with popcorn and chips…they are all (sigh) just dear memories for now.
Luckily, the arrival of the summer and the warm season has allowed the reopening of some of the main commercial activities, but not the cinemas which, due to their structure, provide for gatherings in closed places. Cinemas are facing a particular and risky situation. Will the solution be the drive-in?
A recent decree provided for the reopening of cinemas but not all have reopened, according to statistical data in fact only 15% of the cinemas have reopened, thanks to the incomplete programming and the postponement of the releases of new films.
To date the majority of the few open establishments are those belonging to independent circuits, including neighborhood cinemas, arthouses or single screen cinemas.
The larger chains have reopened only minimally, and not evenly in all parts of the country because in some parts it is still forbidden to do so.
It is like a vicious circle and an endless loop: theaters are closed because films don't come out, and films don't come out because theaters are closed!
Recently, they were mentioning the possibility to see the new films coming out in streaming online but, in order to fill this gap, albeit marginally, and give value to an industry that has accompanied us with laughter, adventures and a fair amount of excitement, open-air cinemas or drive-ins have grown out of all proportion on the English territory.
In addition to the romance of watching a good movie under the stars in the company of the love of your life, outdoor cinemas allow you to avoid crowds and are therefore a great way to do social distancing.
Of course, the problem about the limitations of the titles available remains because despite the possibility of restarting, great classics and timeless cult are featured, while the block on new releases remains. A role in all of this also comes from the current situation in the United States, which is still very much affected by the limitations of the coronavirus.

Finally, good news have arrived for the world of music as well here in London and England: from the last weekend in July in London and throughout England, live concerts were able to take place again, but only if held outdoors.
The official communication came from the secretary of culture Oliver Dowden who specified that from Saturday July 11th it was finally possible to organize musical and theatrical events outdoors, whereas we will have to wait at least until the autumn to attend indoor shows.
Obviously, due to logistical problems and too short time notices, there were no events on the calendar the first weekend it was possible to resume the shows as it would have been impossible to set up a concert or a theatrical event in just 24 hours.
But the past few weeks have seen a surge in the offer (and demand) of concerts and theatrical performances although the great majority of the shows given were already in circulation before the pandemic, with only very few new releases.
In order to guarantee the safety of the spectators, it is now mandatory to respect the social distancing and the entrances have to be controlled and limited through advance bookings.
These regulations apply only to England whereas in Scotland, Wales and Ireland for the time being, outdoor events continue to be prohibited unfortunately.