Theaters will remain closed,
however, in some of the biggest movie-going
markets including Los Angeles and New York,
where local officials say the coronavirus risk
remains too high to let cinemas resume.
AMC, the world's largest cinema chain, and
others on Thursday will open doors in cities
including Atlanta and Chicago.
Theaters worldwide shuttered five months ago,
devastating the movie business and putting tens
of thousands of people out of work. Many
theaters in China and Europe reopened earlier in
the summer.
Major U.S. chains promise safeguards to prevent
coronavirus spreading at the cinema. They
include requiring moviegoers and employees to
wear masks when not eating or drinking, extra
sanitizing of auditoriums, capping attendance at
a half or third of capacity and leaving empty
seats between groups.
"We put a lot of effort, not only us (but) also
our competition, in really creating a safe
environment," Cineworld Chief Executive Mooky
Greidinger said in an interview.
"At the end of the day, it's a much safer
environment than any other places that are
already open," he added. "You sit in the same
seat for two hours. Everybody is facing the
screen, so nobody is looking at one another."
Cineworld operates Regal Cinemas, which will
start reopening Friday.
Alongside health precautions, theaters have cut
prices.
AMC is offering 15-cent admissions on re-opening
day at more than 100 locations and will discount
popcorn, other snacks and beverages.
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Regal and AMC are offering $5
screenings of past hits such as "Back to the
Future" and "Black Panther."
There will initially be few new movies. Russell
Crowe's thriller "Unhinged" is among the scarce
new releases this weekend.
Operators plan to open more theaters in time for
the Sept. 3 U.S. debut of director Christopher
Nolan's thriller "Tenet," which they hope will
kickstart a rebound for big-budget films.
It is unclear how many people will visit cinemas
during the pandemic. Turnout likely will be
influenced by word-of-mouth a bout how safe
people feel at their local movie house, said
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at
Comscore.
"It's going to be important right out of the
gate that this is a positive experience," he
said.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said this
week that opening theaters was not worth the
risk.
"I am sure there is a whole group of people who
say, 'I cannot live without going to the
movies,'" Cuomo said at a news briefing. But he
said he felt "movie theaters are not that high
on the list of essentials."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional
reporting by Alicia Powell in New York; Editing
by Cynthia Osterman)
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