Georgia, and a few more states, are making headlines by planning to reopen some businesses – including movie theaters – sooner than expected. Yet while theatres in certain places will be allowed to open soon, many of them have no plans to take advantage of this opportunity. Including AMC Theaters, who have announced they have no plans to open until at least July, when there will be big new movies to screen like Tenet and Mulan.
Here’s the thing: even if movie theaters wanted to open this month, or even in May, there are no movies to screen. In the wake of the coronavirus shutting down theaters and delaying productions, Hollywood has delayed every new release until at least June, which still has Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island. But AMC Theatres have their eyes on July. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Disney’s live-action Mulan are both still set for that month, and while it’s unclear if those dates will hold, AMC is using them as a kind of goalpost.
Per THR, AMC is going to wait things out until at least July before deciding to open back up. The major theater chain released the following statement:
“As we plan our reopening, the health and safety of our guests and associates is our absolute highest priority. To be able to open, we also need a line of sight into a regular schedule of new theatrical blockbusters that get people truly excited about returning to their favorite movie theaters. Those blockbusters are scheduled to return this summer, beginning with Warner Brothers’ Tenet and Disney’s Mulan, with many more major titles scheduled immediately thereafter.
While we expect to open our theaters in the weeks ahead of these new blockbusters, utilizing creative programming of immensely popular previously released films, we would be wise to do so only directly in advance of the release of major new movie titles. AMC is currently working through every detail required to successfully showcase these exciting new releases in an environment that’s safe and welcoming for moviegoers, and we will share those details as we get closer to the dates when our theaters will reopen.”
AMC is joining several other major chains, who are taking the same stance. Cinemark released a statement saying the theater chain was “currently working toward a mid-summer opening date, contingent upon health and safety regulations, as well as availability of studio content. The first release currently scheduled is Christopher Nolan’s Tenet set for July 17.” And Regal theaters added: “For the time being we have no information about Regal being reopened.”
The bottom line: all eyes are on Tenet. As long as that holds onto its July release date, movie theaters are planning to reopen closer to July.
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