AMC Will Reopen Theaters in July
by EG
AMC Theatres announced this week that it will open most of its locations on July 15. It's unclear, however, what movies will be available for showings at that time. It's also unclear if moviegoers will be willing to go back to theaters during the coronavirus pandemic, which is seeing a resurgence in the United States following the widespread reopening of businesses across the country. Read on for details.
AMC Theatres — the largest cinema circuit in the world — will open 450 of its U.S. locations on July 15 followed by the remaining 150 on July 24, in time for Disney's Mulan and Warner Bros.' Tenet.
Like its rivals, the movie chain is implementing a wide array of sanitary and social distancing measures, including staggered seating, in order to make customers feel comfortable amid ongoing concerns about COVID-19.
AMC will approach seating capacity limitations in four distinct phases. Phase 1, which commences July 15, reduces seating capacity to 30 percent. In non-recliner auditoriums, AMC will automatically block out every other row of seats for every showtime.
During Phase 2, capacity will rise to 40 percent and to 50 percent during Phase 3, which is expected to commence around Labor Day. Full capacity may not be allowed until Thanksgiving. (The dates of these third and fourth phases may be adjusted based on local and regional health conditions at the time.)
AMC CEO Adam Aron said his circuit came up with its reopening plan after consulting with The Clorox Company and the Harvard University’s School of Public Health. AMC is also planning on a phased reopening that has four stages. (The circuit doesn't expect full capacity to be allowed until Thanksgiving.)
Thursday's announcement by AMC follows similar releases issued this week by Cinemark Theaters and Regal Cinemas, the country's two other largest chains. Virtually all in-door movie theaters have been closed since mid-March, bringing the box office to a standstill.
"After a painful almost four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus, we are delighted to announce that movies are coming back to the big screen at AMC. Our next 100 years of making smiles happen officially begin at approximately 450 theaters across the United States on July 15," Aron said in a statement. "I cannot emphasize enough how much care and attention to detail we have taken in developing AMC Safe & Clean, our absolute commitment to optimizing the health and safety of our theaters for our guests and associates."
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Will you be ready to go back to the movies in a few weeks? Let us know in the comments below.