Theaters closing again
Regal Theatres to suspend operations as pandemic continues
Regal Theatres confirmed Monday they are closing again amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, starkly illustrating the difficulties the arts and entertainment sector continues to face as the pandemic lingers.
"In response to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures ," Regal announced on Twitter that all its theaters will suspend operations at close of business Thursday. They will remain closed until further notice.
Today' s announcement by cinema chain Cineworld, which owns Regal Theatres, that it will close all of its movie theaters in the United States follows last week's postponement of the new James Bond film to 2021, according to USA Today.
The Bond film "No Time to Die" was one of the few tentpole films still on the 2020 theatrical slate. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the anticipated remake of "Dune" also was postponed from its planned Dec. 18 date. Warner Bros. and Legendary have not officially set a new release date for the film, but sources tell the trade publication it will be moved to early October 2021.
Cineworld has high debts and is, like the wider industry, struggling with the effects of the pandemic, The Associated Press reported. Without North
American markets, lack of a consistent, solid release schedule from Hollywood studios has been devastating to the business.
As the studios have postponed their 2020 blockbusters to 2021 due to the pandemic, movie theaters have been left to cobble together their lineups out of independent films, older movies and the few new mid-size releases Hollywood has kept on this year's schedule.
Last week groups representing theater owners, movie studios and directors issued a plea to U.S. lawmakers to provide relief to ailing movie theaters, The Associated Press reported. The letter, signed by the likes of Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins, Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese, said that if the status quo continues, nearly 70% of small to mid-size movie theaters could be forced to close permanently.
This week' s closure will affect all 536 U.S .based Regal Cinemas and 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse venues in the U.K. Some 45,000 employees are affected. Regal is the second-largest theater chain in the U.S., after AMC Theatres.
Cineworld did not share any plans for a reopening date, though the company
stressed it would "continue to monitor the situation closely," according to USA Today.
As previously reported, Regal Entertainment owner Cineworld Group began reopening its movie theaters in August following a five-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Of the three Regal
theaters in the Oklahoma City metro area, the Regal Warren Moore 4DX & IMAX and Norman's Regal Spotlight both reopened in August. The Midwest City Warren Theatre, the chain's newest OKC area t heater , has r e mained closed since the March COVID-19 outbreak first shuttered all locations in the Regal Theatres chain.