3 theater chains pass on opening in outbreak

Movie theaters aren’t ready to make the leap that Gov. Greg Abbott recommended Monday when he outlined May 1 and May 18 phased reopenings for the state’s economy.

Abbott said cinemas, retail, restaurants and malls can open Friday, but it’s voluntary.

Cinemark said Tuesday that it’s sticking with its prior plans. AMC Theaters and Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse are also passing on the Friday opening, according to a report in Deadline, an entertainment business publication.

Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said two weeks ago on a call with investors that the company is working toward a midsummer opening date.

The industry’s “return to normalcy” may take months, Zoradi said. The timing has to do with health and safety regulations and the availability of movie content, the company said in a statement.

The first release scheduled is Christoper Nolan’s Tenet on July 17. Disney’s Mulan is scheduled for July 24, and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is slated for Aug. 7.

The company will have staggered openings as state and local government guidelines are relaxed, and theaters’ hours of operation will probably be reduced, Cinemark said.

The speed of the industry’s return also depends on “lingering social distancing and a ramp-up of consumer comfort with public gatherings,” Cinemark said in a statement.

Texas suggested theatergoers could sit 6 feet apart — or about two empty seats — in alternating rows.

Two or more family members or two people from the same household can sit in adjacent seats with two empty seats on either side. Areas have to be disinfected after each showing.