Many of the country’s movie theatres have continued to operate despite alarming death toll, with social distancing measures in placeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our
Coronavirus coverageShowing a film in a cinema has become an act of political consequence. Movie theatres across the globe, from
China to the US, have shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, and arguments have broken out, as much on ideological lines as economic, as to how and when to reopen. In
Sweden, however, some have remained open all along, operating under new government guidelines. With 47 cinemas and about 200 screens, the country’s second-largest chain Svenska Bio stayed operational – and as a result has become Europe’s biggest operator by
box office revenue.
“Swedes, we’re born social distancing,” says Peter Fornstam, Svenska Bio’s founder and managing director. “I am happy that we kept the doors open and that we are still operating [but] I wish everyone was operating.”