We heard last week that AMC theaters planned to open most of its US theaters on July 10th with limited capacity, blockbusters on more screens and social distancing. AMC is close to bankruptcy and this was surely to avoid that. Since that announcement, the release of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has been pushed back from July 17 to July 31. The live action Mulan is still set to come out on July 24. Now the other big movie chain, Regal (owned by Cineworld), is going to open on July 10th too. Only as Slashfilm points out they’re only requiring employees and moviegoers to wear masks where it’s required by law and in theaters without online reservations they’re relying on guests to socially distance themselves!
According to its official website (via The Playlist), Regal Cinemas has unveiled a new series of procedures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 when its theaters reopen. The biggest takeaways are that audience capacities will be limited to 50% – but only in areas where the state or county mandates it. Masks will only be worn by employees and guests in areas where it’s mandated by the government. Online reservation systems will ensure that there are two empty seats between groups (one seat at recliner locations), but in theaters that don’t have online reserved seating, guests will just be asked to leave two seats between groups.
Regal is going to temperature check employees, sanitize with foggers after each movie, and clean more. Again, their official reopening plan only says they’ll reduce capacity and wear mask where it’s required by law. I don’t think one reclining seat between guests is enough, that’s not six feet! I live in a state with a decent governor who declared masks mandatory and just declared Juneteeth a holiday. Every store I go into has a sign that masks are required. While more people are wearing them, I would say it’s still only about 65 to 75%. I’ve been in movie theaters with people reading their phone half the time with the light at full blast. Do you think anyone is going to enforce masks, even in places where they’re required?! This is a recipe for disaster, but as Slashfilm mentions the theater industry is on the brink and they’re doing whatever it takes to stay in business. Also I have a Regal Crown card because I used to go to the movies constantly. (I was never in their movie club though. RIP Moviepass.) Depending on what we hear about their reopening I may just close out my card and send them an email about it. They surely don’t care, they’re just doing whatever they have to not to shut down. I miss going to the movies so much, but not enough to risk my health. Hopefully we’ll see more drive-ins open around the US. That would be a nice change.
photos are screenshots and movie poster from Disney and credit: Alex Montes via Pexels
I’m so disappointed Disney is going through with releasing Mulan in July. I very much so want to support this movie but I’m not going to a theater this summer, and probably not this year. Ugh. Since this is a family film it would’ve made way more sense to release it to VOD.
I agree. I really wanted to see this, but no way am I going to a movie theater in July.
I had to be dragged into theatres BEFORE covid. Now? Hah!
Bad ass poster though.
Badass indeed! And I agree, the last place I would consider going is a movie theater, ugh.
What even is the point of checking employee temperatures if you’re just going to expose them to the general public who you won’t make wear masks and you won’t enforce social distancing in seating?
Regal should have done what politicians and wealthy people always tell us working class stiffs: have 6 months of operating costs as savings. And stop buying Jordans and iPhones.
Yeah, funny how that works. 🤮 When the pandemic hit, I was amazed (but somehow not surprised) at how many corporations didn’t have six months of backup savings. It seems like too many of them are working with razor-thin profit margins at best.
Covid hasn’t gone anywhere, there is no vaccine, and the world is opening up restaurants, theaters etc like covid disappeared. Nothing has changed since this started….No thank you, not going to these places so they can make money on my health!
As I read in before in an article, “there’s no way I’m trusting sanitizing and cleaning to a bunch of hard working teenagers when they can’t even be bothered to keep their room spotless”.
This is sad. Putting all at risk. I miss so much going to the movies. It was my only escape, the one thing I truly enjoyed and loved. Ugh.
My high school best friend and boyfriend both worked at movie theaters, yeah, I saw how that went, no way do I trust those employees to be thorough.
Mulan looks really good!
Where I live, the local COVID ordinances are much more proactive than the statewide ones, so it might work out; however, I know there are plenty of places that this isn’t the case for. I also wonder how much the precautions will be enforced, and if managers will actually step in or if they’ll leave enforcement to the minimum wage teenagers at the snack bar. Having once been a teenage movie theatre employee, I’m leaning towards the latter. There’s really nothing like being 17 and having some 30-something scream at you for not bending the laws of reality to their whims.
This is a recipe for disaster. Forget for a moment the reality that most won’t wear a mask (“How can I eat my 6 gal. tub of popcorn in a mask!?”), forget that there won’t truly be six feet beside or BEHIND or in front of you…THINK ABOUT BEING IN AN ENCLOSED ENVIORNMENT, WITH CIRCULATED A/C, FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS! Any germs/droplets will be recirculated all around you during that time. DOORS ARE CLOSED…NO OTHER AIR COMING IN TO *STIR* IT OUT.
Yeah..HARD PASS for the next year at least.
A theater near me opened last week, against the rules, and the health dept shut them down. Then they whined about being “unfairly targeted “! Hello, you opened too soon and publicly announced it!
I can’t see going anytime soon. I miss the movies, but no.