COVID-19 cost Mobile’s Saenger nearly $1 million, says grant request Updated Apr 16, 2021; Posted Apr 16, 2021 Fans gather outside the Saenger Theatre as they wait to see Trombone Shorty perform in Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday Dec. 16, 2015. (Sharon Steinmann/ssteinmann@al.com) Facebook Share A low-key Mobile City Council action this week shows the price tag the city puts on COVID-related losses at the city-owned Mobile Saenger Theatre: Just under $1 million. That in turn shows what an asset the historic theater can be when it’s able to live up to its potential. Context provided by the operator shows that the venue had gross ticket sales of more than $2 million in the fiscal year before COVID hit.