Going dark
Locations in Colonie, Guilderland expected to halt screenings
Regal closing N.Y. theaters 3 weeks after reopening.
Regal Cinemas is closing its movie theaters in New York just three weeks after reopening, Deadline reported.
Regal operates five locations in the region and on Oct. 23 reopened two — at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland and Colonie Center in Colonie. But Deadline reports those locations as well as nine other sites in the state will close.
Regal did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment but the entertainment industry website reported movie distribution sources received notes that the chain was closing its cinemas in New York and California.
The decision was made as theater chains confront cautious crowds leery about the spread of coronavirus and a shortage of new movies. The movie industry has postponed the release of a number of fall and winter blockbusters, including the new James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” and “Dune,” Denis Villeneuve’s take on the classic sci-fi book.
All movie theaters in New York closed when the coronavirus began to surge in the spring. The industry was among the last to get approval to reopen from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Though mask wearing and social distancing rules remained in place, restaurants and some entertainment venues reopened over the summer and the movie industry lobbied to be included in the reopening.
When the Cuomo administration signed off on a return of movies with limited seating to ensure social distancing, Regal and another chain with local locations, Bow Tie Cinemas, started showing movies again in late October. But now the state is clearly in a new wave of COVID -19 cases.