Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, announced Tuesday that it would reopen all its theaters in the U.S. and the U.K. by July 10.
Cineworld operates 787 theaters and 9,500 screens across 10 countries, including Regal’s 546 theaters in America. The reopening will begin in the company’s other territories later this month, including in the Czech Republic and Slovakia followed by Poland, and all theaters will be reopen by July 10.
All opening dates are also subject to government restrictions for COVID-19 in certain territories.
“We are thrilled to be back and encouraged by recent surveys that show that many people have missed going to the movie theatre. With a strong slate confirmed for the coming weeks, including among others ‘Tenet,’ ‘Mulan,’ ‘A Quiet Place Part II,’ ‘Wonder Women 1984,’ ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Bond,’ ‘Soul,’ ‘Top Gun Maverick’ and many more, the entire Cineworld team remains committed to being ‘the best place to watch a movie,” Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger said in a statement.
At Regal Cinemas, the chain will reopen at 50% capacity, with two seats of distance in between all patrons. Guests will use contactless payment methods at the box office and concessions, and staff will use ULV “Foggers” in order to clean and sanitize each auditorium. Self-service concession stands will also be closed, refills on large drinks and popcorns are suspended, and anything that requires kitchen preparation will not be available. The full details of the safety measures can be found here.
Cineworld is the second-largest theater company in the world after having acquired Regal in 2017 for $3.6 billion. It closed all 787 of its theaters back in mid-March amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Among some of the movies opening in July when both Cineworld and AMC are targeting to reopen theaters are Disney’s “Mulan,” Warner Bros. “Tenet,” the Russell Crowe thriller “Unhinged,” the STX’s “Greenland” and Sony’s “The Broken Hearts Gallery.”