Locally-owned, independent movie theaters are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing and mask restrictions, coupled with the fact that major movie studios are putting off releasing summer blockbuster movies, is hurting the theaters’ profits.

Doreen Sayegh owns Cranford Theater. She says that normally they would hold as many as 25 screenings in a day. The theater is now operating a drive-in this summer showing family-friendly classics.

“To be able to provide the drive-in has really put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces,” she says.

But Sayegh says that one show a night cannot begin to make up for the lost revenue of an empty theater.

Mike Sodano owns The Showroom Cinemas in Asbury Park and Bradley Beach. He says that the ripple effect of Hollywood’s production shutdown will hurt theaters even after they are able to reopen.

“There’s no new movies…even then, the product will be very slow coming out,” he says.

Sodano is streaming limited new indie movies on the Showroom’s website, which has enabled him to earn at least some money.

Independent theater owners are now lobbying in a “Save Our Cinemas” campaign to seek federal assistance to keep them from going out of business permanently.