When Gov. Baker announced that the state was moving into the third phase of reopening last month, it meant movie theaters could start showing films again — with restrictions. But most indoor movie screens in the state remain dark.

Some theaters, like the West Newton Cinema, are giving it a shot.

"This is the only place I can find open,” John Akmal said as he and his daughter arrived for a screening of “The Goonies” recently. They had come to Newton from Malden — about a 45-minute drive — and there was only one other person in the theater when they took their seats.

“In Massachusetts, pretty much, as far as I can tell, every other place was closed,” he said. “So we're here."

According to the audience research company Comscore, of the more than 100 movie theaters in Massachusetts, fewer than 20 are open. Movie chain AMC said it will open some theaters in the state next week. Drive-ins have seen a resurgence during the pandemic, but Akmal said it’s not the same as being in a theater.

"You know, the popcorn, when you walk in, you can smell it. The feel of getting in your seats,” he said. “It's not the same in the car. You're listening through the car speakers."

Lisamarie Annunciata came to the theater with 4-year-old Allie and 5-year-old Cole to see the Wizard of Oz. She said the kids just found out they won’t be going back to Wayland schools in the fall and were pretty down about it.

"So when we found out from a friend last night that this theater is back open, it was sort of a pick-me-up for them," she said.

When the movie started, they were the only ones in the theater. And for an hour and 42 minutes, the Wizard of Oz was an escape.

The West Newton Cinema — which reopened four weeks ago — usually features smaller, artsier releases, but also shows some pretty popular movies. David Bramante and his brother have owned the theater for 42 years. Then, in March, they were shut down by COVID-19.

"Financially, it was devastating," Bramante said.

His daughter raised $40,000 in an online GoFundMe campaign from people who wanted to keep the theater afloat. But that only went so far.

"The fixed costs are in the tens of thousands of dollars a month here,” Bramante said. “So it was a huge help. But, you know, we're on our own now."

The state’s reopening plan says there can't be more than 25 people in any room — including in theater auditoriums.

"We went to reserve seating,” he said, while sitting in the West Newton Cinema’s biggest auditorium. “So in this case, the theater we're in is 225 seats. We took that down to 25 seats and then we socially distance seating."

He also upgraded the air filters in the building's HVAC system.

"People don't talk typically in movies, right?” Bramante said. “So there's very little transmission going on, and there's a lot of distance. So it's a pretty safe environment to spend an hour or two in, watching a movie."

That is, as long as they don't show anything that has people laughing.

"We're going to specialize in somber movies," Bramante said with a laugh.

Just what films the theater can show is a bit of a Catch-22. Many theaters aren't open because there are few new movies being released. And distribution companies won't release new films because most theaters aren't open.

For now, Bramante is mostly showing classics, which cost less to screen. And he’s trying to keep expenses down by doing things like turning on the AC only when they're screening movies.

“It's the air conditioning that's really expensive to run in the summertime," he said.

It was already the kind of theater where the person who sold you a ticket might also sell you popcorn and then run into the booth to start the movie. Now, it's just him and one paid employee at a time.

"I don't have anything else to do,” he said. “So I might as well come in here and run movies."

But so far, not a lot of people are coming to see each screening. Bramante said many screenings get just eight or nine people in the audience.

"Some shows nobody comes in for," he said. And Bramante doesn't know how long he can keep it up.

"But I'm trying to build it up,” he said. “If I don't open, I won't get anywhere. I won't know what I can do or can't do."

It's a good time to go to the movies, he said, because it provides an escape from reality. Also, there's popcorn.