Cinema chain Cineworld announced it will close all of its movie theaters in the United States this week after the postponement of the new James Bond film left a big hole in schedules.
The closures, which affect all 536 U.S.-based Regal Cinemas and 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse venues in the U.K., will go into effect Thursday, according to a Regal news release. Some 45,000 employees are affected. Cineworld did not share any plans for a reopening date, though the company stressed it would"continue to monitor the situation closely."
Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger said in a statement it was"not a decision we made lightly," adding the company did"everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the U.S. "We are especially grateful for and proud of the hard work our employees put in to adapt our theatres to the new protocols and cannot underscore enough how difficult this decision was," Greidinger added.The company said Sunday it was “considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and U.S. cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached. Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can.
Many U.S. theaters have reopened after being shuttered by the coronavirus in March, but so far audiences have been slow to return as the country has continued to struggle with spikes and hot zones. Christopher Nolan's thriller"Tenet," which had been expected to be a hit before COVID-19 hit,Cinemas remain closed in New York and Los Angeles, two of North America’s biggest markets, as coronavirus diagnoses approach 7.5 million in the U.S.
"Without these new releases, Cineworld cannot provide customers in both the U.S. and U.K. – the company's primary markets – with the breadth of strong commercial films necessary for them to consider coming back to theaters against the backdrop of COVID-19," Regal's news release said.
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