AMC Theaters Delay Their Reopening Date to July 31st

Published on June 29, 2020

The delays for reopening theaters may keep rolling in. Now, many states and counties have permitted movie theaters to reopen. However, two of the biggest moviegoing markets in the country, New York City and Los Angeles, aren’t permitted to open. With the coronavirus showing no signs of slowing in major cities again, AMC Theatres has delayed their reopening. 

Another Delay for AMC Theaters

AMC Theaters were planning their reopening for July 15th. Now, they’re aiming for July 31st. We’ll see about that, but Adam Aron, who’s the CEO & President of AMC Theatres, issued the following statement:

“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. 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.”

The First Movie to Possibly Open Theaters

Of all movies, a Russell Crowe thriller called Unhinged might reopen theaters. It looks like a thriller straight out of the ‘90s with the actor going on a range bender, stalking a family after an incident in traffic. The distributor, who’s arguably trying to cash in on what’s happening, wants Unhinged to be the movie to reopen theaters. They’ve been touting it as the first to come out. 

Unhinged looks pretty entertaining for what it is. It’d probably be more fun to watch from the safety of our homes than surrounded by people in a movie theater. Going to a movie theater shouldn’t feel more suspenseful than the actual movie itself. The same goes for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet

What About Tenet?

AMC Theaters without question are more interested in Tenet than Unhinged reopening their theaters. During the pandemic, Warner Bros. has expressed how keen they are to release the epic science-fiction movie in theaters. Christopher Nolan wants his movie to truly reopen theaters and quite possibly, save movie theaters. Both Warner Bros. and Nolan have taken flack online, with people accusing them of being irresponsible. Recently, Warner Bros. explained their new release plans for the movie:

We’re especially thrilled, in this complex and rapidly changing environment, to be bringing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet,’ a global tentpole of jaw-dropping size, scope and scale, to theaters around the world on July 31. It’s been longer than any of us could’ve imagined since we’ve seen a movie on the big screen, and to acknowledge Chris’ fans as we count down to ‘Tenet’’s opening day, we are also excited to offer his masterpiece ‘Inception’ in theaters for its 10th anniversary on July 17.

Now, even that rerelease of Inception seems unlikely, but Warner Bros. could release it in states that are less affected by the coronavirus. 

A Summer Without Movies?

The new Bill & Ted and Mulan are scheduled to come out in August. The question is, will any of these movies actually come out? It’s starting to look more and more doubtful, especially as Governor Gavin Newsom says another lockdown might happen soon in California. 

As for New York City, they’ve removed movie theaters from their phase four plan of reopening. Without California and New York, studios won’t release their big movies in the states without those territories. They generally cover over 20% of a box-office toll in the United States. It’s looking more likely we won’t see many or any movies in theaters this summer unless there’s a change in the tides. 

Jack Giroux is a Staff Writer at Grit Daily. Based in Los Angeles, he is an entertainment journalist who's previously written for Thrillist, Slash Film, Film School Rejects, and The Film Stage.

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