AMC Theaters are reopening their doors a week from today. The chain had to close its doors in March due to COVID-19. When the theater chain returns, they’ll only have a handful of movies to play in the next few weeks. To fill theaters up, the theater chain is selling tickets to Hollywood classics for 15 cents.
100th Anniversary
For the reopening and celebration of the theater’s 100th anniversary, they’re selling tickets for the price they went for back in AMC’s early beginnings. According to AMC’s press release, it’s only for locations that open on August 20th:
“Centennial Celebration, all AMC U.S. theatre locations that open on August 20 will offer all available seats for all movies that day for the 1920’s admission price of 15 cents each (while offered on all available seats, to achieve social distancing overall seating capacity will be significantly reduced).”
Considering there’s not going to be many major new releases to show on August 20th, studios aren’t going to mind the cheap ticket price. They’ll make a few bucks on their classic titles. It’s a start.
$5 Movies
After August 20th, AMC will show some old and new Hollywood classics for $5 a ticket. Movie fans can check out Inception, Black Panther, Back to the Future, and Ghostbusters. Plus, there’s Grease and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back for the low cost. On top of that, there’s $5 drink and snack combos. AMC is doing all that they can to bring customers back, including enforcing masks, providing sanitary stations and encouraging social distancing.
The Reopening
On August 20th, AMC will open more than 100 theaters where it’s safer, most likely not including Los Angeles and New York City. Right now, half of the chain’s theaters in Europe and the Middle East have been opened with, as the theater chain claims, no incidents to report. By September 3rd, two-thirds of AMC’s locations will reopen. The remaining theaters will open when the state allows them to do so. In a statement, AMC CEO, Adam Aron, talked about the long-awaited reopening:
“We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies. As our guests return on our first day of resumed operations on August 20, we invite them to join us in celebrating a return to the movies, and in celebrating 100 years of AMC making smiles happen with movies at 1920 prices of only 15 cents each.”
Which Movies Can We See?
Major studios are still considering delaying the rest of their major 2020 releases. There’s a lot of doubt and skepticism about AMC and other major chains reopening as coronavirus shows no signs of slowing down in the United States. If the theater does reopen as they plan, they’ve stressed they’ll perform the following duties:
- Educating our staff on prevention
- Emphasizing frequent and proper hand washing
- Cleaning high contact points more frequently
- Providing hand sanitizing soap in all restrooms
- Working with local health authorities
Which new movies can audiences actually see in a theater? There’s actually a handful of promising new films in the next month. There’s the Russell Crowe-led thriller Unhinged, the long-delayed New Mutants, and maybe the most important movie of the year, Tenet, which will show whether audiences are ready to return to movie theaters. How that movie performs will be a sign to come for other major releases studios are understandably nervous about releasing during a pandemic.
