Regal Cinemas closing all US theaters, including four in Conn.
Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie theater chain in the country, will temporarily close all of its United States locations, impacting 40,000 employees nationwide. The company has four Connecticut locations.
The company’s four Connecticut locations include two 12-screen cinemas, the Regal Brass Mill in Waterbury and the Regal Branford, the 10-screen Regal Stonington and the 9-screen Regal Waterford. The Waterbury and Waterford Regal cinemas had recently been outfitted with new reclining seats.
Regal had temporarily shuttered all its 536 U.S. cinemasin mid-Marchduetothe coronavirus. An announced July reopening did not go as scheduled.
Regal cites “the continued closure of NewYorkand other key U.S. markets” as one of the main reasons for the chainwide closure, along with the delay of Hollywood movie releases.
“The prolonged closures have had a detrimental impact on the release slate for the rest of the year,” the Regal press release states, “and, in turn, our ability to supply our customers with the lineup of blockbusters they’ve come to expect from us. As such, it is simply impossible to continue operations in our primary markets.”
The delayed release of the latest James Bond feature, “No Time to Die,” is the latest example of a potential blockbuster that could have boosted theater revenues having its release date pushed back by months. “No Time to Die” was originally scheduled for an April 2020 release, and was one of the first major movies to have its release affected the coronavirus crisis. The date was changed to November, but earlier this month was delayed again until April 2021.
The Tennessee-based Regal Cinemas chain was bought by Cineworld, a leading UK movie theater chain, in 2017. Cineworld CEO MookyGreidinger released a statement saying “This is not a decision we made lightly,
and wedid everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the U.S.”
Bow Tie cinemas in Connecticut, including the Criterion in New Haven, reopened in June only to close again on July 1, citing a lack of new releases. Bow Tie theaters remain closed.
According to the Criterion website, “the plan is to reopen when new Hollywood movies are ready to be released again in theaters. When that time comes, the health and safety of our customers, staff members and the greater moviegoing community will continue to be our top priority.”
The largest movie theater chain in the U.S. (and the world) is AMC, which included its Connecticut theaters in Plainville and Danbury among the 100 it reopened in mid-August as part of a gradual reopening rollout timed to AMC’s 100th anniversary. Other AMC cinemas reopened in the state in September.
Richard Grover, Vice President of Communications for Regal, confirmed to the Courant that its closings are “temporary and not permanent.”
Many Regal cinemas reopened in August and September, promising extra safety procedures in line with “Cinemasafe” protocols put in place by the National Association of Theatre Owners and followed by over 300 cinema operators.
In an open letter addressed to “the Regal Team,” i.e. the cinema employees, and signed “Executive Management Team,” the chain announced“It is with a heavy hear that we announce the decision to temporarily close our Regal theatres after close of business Thursday, Oct. 8. ... It is our sincere hope that when we do return that you will be at our side. However, we do understand the strain this pandemic has created for you and your loved ones and wish you the best whatever your decision.”