Regal Cinemas will open in April for the first time in six months after the company’s theaters shuttered their doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Cineworld Group, the parent company of Regal, announced the “phased reopening” in a statement on Tuesday. On April 2, a “limited number” of the company’s theaters will open with a maximum capacity.
According to The Associated Press, about 500 locations will open at a 25 percent to 50 percent capacity.
Regal, according to the AP, has 549 theaters and 7,211 screens in the U.S.
“With the health and safety of our customers, staff, and communities as our top priority, we continue to take all the necessary precautions and abide by our CinemaSafe guidelines to confidently provide a safe and comfortable experience,” Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld, said in the statement.
“With capacity restrictions expanding to 50% or more across most U.S. states, we will be able to operate profitably in our biggest markets,” Greidinger added.
On Oct. 5, Regal Cinemas closed all locations nationwide, as the industry continued to struggle amid the pandemic.
The theaters will resume business for the opening of “Godzilla vs. Kong” on April 2, and “Mortal Kombat” on April 16, the statement said.
Regal Cinemas, according to the AP, is the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S.
Cineworld also plans to reopen theaters in the United Kingdom in May, according to the statement.
“We will also be monitoring developments closely in the U.K. and across Europe as we set to gradually reopen across the world in line with local government guidance,” Greidinger said.
The statement from Cineworld also announced a new multiyear agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures Group beginning next year, which gives Regal theaters a 45-day window of “theatrical exclusivity” to show Warner Bros. releases.
In the U.K., that exclusivity period will be 31 days, and an extended window of 45 days for films that “open to an agreed upon box-office threshold,” the statement says.
“We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros,” Greidinger said in a statement. “This agreement shows the studio’s commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100-year relationship with Warner Bros.”
The agreement does not, however, apply to Warner releases from this year, which are streaming concurrently on HBO when they open in theaters, the AP reported.
The news of Regal’s reopening comes as a number of states have allowed movie theaters to reopen. On March 5, movie theaters in New York City reopened at 25 percent capacity, and last weekend, theaters in Los Angeles opened their doors.