Following the move of “Mulan” and “Tenet” from a late July release date to mid-August, AMC Theaters announced on Monday that it is shifting its timetable for reopening its 600-plus theater circuit to coincide with the release of the two blockbusters.
The majority of AMC’s locations, approximately 450 theaters, will now reopen on July 30, the same weekend that Solstice Studios is set to release its indie thriller “Unhinged” and Warner Bros. is set to re-release the Christopher Nolan film “Inception” with sneak preview footage of “Tenet.” The rest of AMC’s theaters will open the following weekend in time for the release of Sony’s romcom “The Broken Hearts Gallery” and the A24 horror film “Saint Maud.” “Mulan,” is currently set for release on August 12, with “Tenet” following on August 21.
“We continue to devote extraordinary resources into our plan to operate our theatres with a hyper commitment to the safety and health of our guests and associates, notably in the United States through our new AMC Safe & Clean initiative,” AMC CEO Adam Aron said in a statement. “Our theatre general managers across the U.S. started working full time again today and are back in their theatres gearing up to get their buildings fully ready just a few weeks from now for moviegoers. That happy day, when we can welcome guests back into most of our U.S. theatres, will be Thursday, July 30.”
Two weeks ago, AMC, along with fellow national theater chains Cinemark and Regal, announced a schedule through which they would steadily reopen their theater locations with the goal of having as many theaters open as possible in time for the release of new films. The chains also announced the safety precautions they would implement to protect moviegoers from COVID-19, though AMC did not require customers to wear masks until a public backlash led to a change in policies. Cinemark and Regal are expected to announce similar adjustments in their reopening timetables.
AMC is moving forward with plans to reopen theaters it owns in 14 countries overseas, most of which have seen the rate of new COVID infections drop far faster than in the U.S. The company says it expects to have its full global circuit of approximately 1,000 theaters open by early August, though it remains to be seen if or when theaters will be allowed to reopen in some major markets. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo included cinemas in a list of businesses that are having their reopening delayed for further studies in how the virus can spread among patrons.