Movie theater meltdown: AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Cineplex and more shut down because of coronavirus pandemic

March 17, 2020

by Carla Hay

Updated March 20, 2021

As of March 17, 2020, thousands of movie theaters across the United States will be closing until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic. They join the thousands of other cinemas around the world that have also shut down for the same reasons.

AMC TheatresRegal Cinemas, Cinemark and Cineplex are closing until further notice all of their locations in the United States. Cinemark is closing as of March 18, 2020, while the other major cinema companies are closing as of March 17, 2020. In the U.S., several independent movie theaters, such as Alamo Drafthouse and Landmark, also closed of all their locations.  In some cities and states, these closures are mandatory. In other areas, the closings are voluntary.

Refunds are being given for tickets purchased in advance for screenings that will no longer take place. AMC, Regal and Alamo Drafthouse all have subscription services. As of this writing, only AMC has officially announced that it will not charge subscription fees during the period of time that its theaters are closed, although Regal and Alamo Drafthouse will no doubt have similar policies. AMC also announced that its subscriptions expirations will not be in effect during the closure of AMC Theaters.

Other movie-theater chains in North America that have closed until further notice include Marcus Theatres, Harkins Theatres, B&B Theatres, National Amusements (also known as Showcase), Caribbean Cinemas, Goodrich Quality Theaters, Southern Theatres, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, Neighborhood Cinema Group and Georgia Theatre Company.

Most of the movie theaters in the U.S. that are remaining open have pledged to not book theater rooms at more than 50% capacity. But given the huge dropoff in moviegoing since the coronavirus outbreak was classified as a pandemic, attendance at movie theaters was reaching well below 50% anyway.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the three largest cinema companiesCineworld, Odeon and Picturehouse—are also closing all of their locations, as of March 17, 2020, in Ireland and as of March 18, 2020, in the United Kingdom. These shutdowns will continue until further notice.

What does this mean for movie audiences? Major studios are shortening the period of time that movies in theatrical release will be released on home video for rental or purchase. Universal Pictures has already announced that it will release DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls World Tour” on video on demand (VOD) and in theaters on April 10, 2020. “Trolls World Tour” had previously been scheduled for theatrical release only on that date. Other movies that are currently in theatrical release will have their home-video releases moved up.

The industry standard used to be that major studios would wait at least 90 days before a movie in theatrical release would be released on home video or streaming services. (This rule wasn’t followed by most independent studios.) The major studios would be threatened with boycotts by corporate-owned movie theaters if they didn’t comply with this 90-day window. And it’s why corporate-owned theaters such as AMC, Regal, Cineplex and Cinemark would not carry independent films and films from streaming services that didn’t follow this release mandate.

But now, with almost all of these corporate-owned movie theaters closed until further notice, they no longer have the power to dictate when studios can release films on home video after a theatrical release. The power has now shifted to those who can deliver movies to people in ways that don’t involve movie theaters. Going to the movie theaters won’t be considered obsolete, but the coronavirus pandemic has permanently altered the cinema business. It’s going to take a very long time for movie theaters to recover. Going to movie theaters just won’t reach the same levels that it had during its peak.

Click here for an updated list of other corona virus-related cancellations and postponements in the entertainment industry.

June 19, 2020 UPDATE: The three biggest cinema companies in the U.S. have announced their re-opening dates:

  • Regal Cinemas: July 10, 2020
  • AMC Theatres: July 15, 2020
  • Cinemark: July 17, 2020

Regal and AMC have announced that they will require all employees and customers to wear masks in the theater building. Customers who show up without masks can purchase masks at the theater location. Cinemark will require all employees to wear masks but will not require customers to wear masks in states or cities that do not have policies requiring that people wear masks in public.

In addition, most movie theaters have pledged to not book screening rooms above 50% capacity. Customers will be encouraged to purchase their tickets online or at kiosks instead of at a theater box office. In addition, placing advance online orders for food is also being encouraged. The major cinema companies have also announced stricter guidelines for more frequent cleaning and social distancing inside each theater location’s building.

October 5, 2020 UPDATE:  Cineworld, the company that owns Regal Cinemas and Picturehouse, has announced that, for the second time in 2020, it is temporarily closing all of its U.S. theater locations. The temporary closures begin on October 8, 2020. In addition, all Cineworld and Picturehouse location in the United Kingdom will also temporarily close, as of October 8, 2020. The reason cited is the lack of blockbuster movies scheduled for release in 2020. It has not been announced yet when these Regal Cinemas, Cineworld and Picturehouse locations will re-open.

March 20, 2021 UPDATE: Regal Cinemas will re-open on April 2, 2021.

Regal Cinemas joins AMC Theatres in boycott of Universal Pictures and any movie studio that breaks home-video embargo

April 29, 2020

by Carla Hay

Regal Cinemas (which is owned by Cineworld) has joined AMC Theatres in its boycott of Universal Pictures and any major film studio that releases any movie directly to home video instead of the original plan to release the movie first in cinemas. Regal’s announcement comes one day after its competitor AMC Theatres announced it was implementing this boycott immediately, for an undetermined period of time.

Regal issued this statement on April 29, 2020, that read in part: “Cineworld’s roots go back 90 years in the industry and it was always open to showing any movie as long as the rules were kept and not changed by one-sided moves. Today we make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows as it does not make any economic sense for us.”

The boycott was prompted by Universal Pictures releasing DreamWorks Animation sequel “Trolls World Tour” directly to video on April 20, 2020. “Trolls World Tour” had originally been scheduled to be released in movie theaters on that date. But due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down almost all movie theaters worldwide, as of mid-March 2020, Universal opted to not postpone the “Trolls World Tour” release date and released the movie directly to digital/video-on-demand as a premium-priced rental.

Cineworld (based in Brentford, England) is the second-largest cinema company in world and in the U.S.,  with approximately 790 locations worldwide, of which more than 570 locations are in the United States. Regal Cinemas, a Cineworld subsidiary, is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. AMC Theaters (based in Leawood, Kansas) is the largest cinema company in the world, with more than 1,000 locations worldwide, of which more than 660 locations are in the United States.

Just like AMC Theatres, Regal has a subscription service that is suspended while its theater locations remain closed. The theater re-opening dates for Cineworld/Regal, AMC and other major cinema companies have not yet been announced, as of this writing.

The following is the full press release/statement from Cineworld/Regal:

Cineworld and Regal’s policy with respect to the window is clear, well known in the industry and is part of our commercial deal with our movie suppliers. We invest heavily in our cinemas across the globe and this allows the movie studios to provide customers all around the world the opportunity to watch movies in the best experience. There is no argument that the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.

Universal unilaterally chose to break our understanding and did so at the height of the Covid-19 crisis when our business is closed, more than 35,000 employees are at home and when we do not yet have a clear date for the reopening of our cinemas.

Universal’s move is completely inappropriate and certainly has nothing to do with good faith business practice, partnership and transparency.

Mooky Greidinger, Cineworld’s CEO approached Brian Roberts, the Chairman of Comcast, back on the 19th of March (after Universal announced that Trolls 2 would be released in breach of the window) and told him among other things that:

“Nice words from your team are worthless if we cannot trust you as a partner. The message that the media has portrayed is: “Hollywood breaks the window” – well, this is not true! All our partners called us in a timely manner and told us that in the current situation they want to shorten the window for movies that were already released as cinemas are closing, most importantly, they all reassured us that there will be no change to their window policy once the cinema business returned. Unfortunately I missed a similar message in Universal’s announcement… not only did Universal provide no commitment for the future window – but Universal was the ONLY studio that tried to take advantage of the current crisis and provide a ‘day-and-date’ release of a movie that was not yet released.”

Cineworld’s roots go back 90 years in the industry and it was always open to showing any movie as long as the rules were kept and not changed by one-sided moves. Today we make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows as it does not make any economic sense for us.

We have full confidence in the industry’s current business model. No one should forget that the theatrical side of this industry generated an all-time record income of $42 billion last year and the movie distributors’ share of this was about $20 billion.

About Cineworld:
Cineworld aims to be the best place to watch a movie, offering an unparalleled cinema experience in the UK & Ireland, with 102 cinemas and over 1,030 screens. Cineworld Group was founded in 1995 and is currently the second largest cinema chain in the world following the acquisition of US cinema group Regal Entertainment Group in February 2018. In 2014, the Cineworld Group combined with Cinema City International (CCI) and appointed CCI Founder and CEO Mooky Greidinger, as CEO of the Cineworld Group. In August 2016 Cineworld acquired 5 Empire Cinemas, including the iconic Empire Theatre in Leicester Square. This was followed by the acquisition of Empire Newcastle in 2017. Cineworld currently has 24 IMAX® auditoriums, and 15 Superscreens nationwide, as well as a special VIP experience currently available at 5 of their cinemas. Cineworld are the only operators in the UK to offer ScreenX – a 270-degree format that projects onto the front and side walls of the theatre across 16 auditoriums and 4DX – the immersive multi-sensory cinema experience, with 30 auditoriums across the UK and Ireland, including Cineworld Leicester Square.

About Regal:
Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group, operates one of the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuits in the United States, consisting of 7,155 screens in 542 theatres in 42 states along with the District of Columbia and Guam as of March 31, 2020. We believe that the size, reach and quality of the company’s theatre circuit provides its patrons with a convenient and enjoyable moviegoing experience. We are committed to being “The Best Place to Watch a Movie!” Additional information is available on Regal’s website: www.REGmovies.com

2019 Academy Awards: Where to watch the Oscar-nominated movies in theaters and on video

January 23, 2019

by Carla Hay

Oscars

Now that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards, people might be wondering where to see the nominated films before the winners are announced. The Oscar ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019. ABC will have the live telecast of the show in the United States. Here is where the nominated films can be seen in theaters and on video before the Oscar ceremony. (This information applies to U.S. theaters only, and remains current until February 24, 2019.)

NOTE: “Home video” means available for rent or purchase in various formats on Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, etc.

BEST PICTURE

“BlacKkKlansman”

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Director (Spike Lee)
Best Supporting Actor (Adam Driver)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score

Where to watch:
Home video
Limited re-release in select theaters on January 25, 2019
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

 

“Black Panther”

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Costume Design
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Original Score
Best Original Song (“All the Stars”)

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Streaming on Netflix.
Free screenings at select AMC Theaters (February 1-7, 2019)
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 16 and February 23, 2019)

 

“Bohemian Rhapsody” 

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Rami Malek)
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.
Available on digital video. Home video release in all other formats: February 12, 2019.
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

“The Favourite”

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos)
Best Actress (Olivia Colman)
Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone)
Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

“Green Book” 

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen)
Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

 

“Roma” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_i7cnOgbQ

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón)
Best Actress (Yalitza Aparicio)
Best Supporting Actress (Marina de Tavira)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Where to watch:
Playing in select independent theaters.
Streaming on Netflix.

“A Star Is Born”

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Actress (Lady Gaga)
Best Supporting Actor (Sam Elliott)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Sound Mixing
Best Original Song (“Shallow”)

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.
Available on digital video. Home video release in all other formats: February 19, 2019.
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

“Vice”

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Director (Adam McKay)
Best Actor (Christian Bale)
Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell)
Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.
Regal Best Picture Film Festival (February 15-24, 2019)
AMC Best Picture Marathon (February 23, 2019)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Free Solo”

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.
Digital video release: February 5, 2019. Home video release in all other formats: February 19, 2019.

“Hale County This Morning, This Evening” 

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.
PBS’s “Independent Lens” will have the TV premiere on February 11, 2019 — check local listings.

“Minding the Gap” 

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.
Streaming on Hulu.
PBS’s “POV” will have the TV premiere on February 18, 2019 — check local listings.
Streaming on POV.org on February 18, 2019.

“Of Fathers and Sons” 

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters for limited engagements.
Streaming on Kanopy. (Free with a valid library card from participating libraries.)

“RBG” 

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Streaming on Hulu.
CNN will re-air “RBG” on February 16, 2019, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

 

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

“Capernaum” (Lebanon) 

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.

“Cold War” (Poland)

Nominated for:
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Director (Paweł Pawlikowski)
Best Cinematography

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.

“Never Look Away” (Germany)

Nominated for:
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Cinematography

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.

“Roma” (Mexico)

Nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Director (Alfonso Cuarón)
Best Actress (Yalitza Aparicio)
Best Supporting Actress (Marina de Tavira)
Best Original Screenplay
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Where to watch:
Playing in select independent theaters.
Streaming on Netflix.

“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Incredibles 2”

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Streaming on Netflix begins on January 30, 2019.

“Isle of Dogs”

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Available on HBO.

“Mirai” 

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters for limited engagements.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” 

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” 

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.

BEST SHORT FILMS (ANIMATED, LIVE-ACTION & DOCUMENTARY)

Every year, select AMC Theaters have special screenings of the Oscar-nominated short films. The screenings of the Oscar-nominated short films begin on February 8, 2019. More information can be found here.

Select independent theaters will also have special screenings of the Oscar-nominated short films. Check local listings. In addition, most cable and satellite TV companies will have the Oscar-nominated short films available as a VOD package for subscribers.

Some of the short films are currently available for viewing on the Internet:

“Bao” 
Nominated for:
Best Animated Short

Where to watch:
Available in digital format on iTunes and Amazon.

“Late Afternoon”
Nominated for:
Best Animated Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Vimeo (free).

“One Small Step”
Nominated for:
Best Animated Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Vimeo (free).

“Fauve”
Nominated for:
Best Live-Action Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Vimeo (free).

“Black Sheep” 
Nominated for:
Best Documentary Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Vimeo or YouTube (free).

“End Game” 
Nominated for:
Best Documentary  Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Netflix.

“Lifeboat” 
Nominated for:
Best Documentary Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on YouTube (free).

“A Night at the Garden
Nominated for:
Best Documentary Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on the movie’s websiteYouTube and Vimeo (free).

“Period. End of Sentence.” 
Nominated for:
Best Documentary Short

Where to watch:
Streaming on Netflix as of Feb. 12, 2019.

 

OTHER OSCAR-NOMINATED FEATURE FILMS

“At Eternity’s Gate” 

Nominated for:
Best Actor (Willem Dafoe)

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.
Home video release: February 12, 2019.

“Avengers: Infinity War” 

Nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Streaming on Netflix.

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

Nominated for:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Costume Design
Best Original Song (“When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings”)

Where to watch:
Streaming on Netflix.

“Border” 

Nominated for:
Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters.

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Nominated for:
Best Actress (Melissa McCarthy)
Best Supporting Actor (Richard E. Grant)
Best Adapted Screenplay

Where to watch:
Playing in select theaters. Home video release: February 19, 2019.

“Christopher Robin” 

Nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

Where to watch:
Available on home video.

“First Man” 

Nominated for:
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Playing in select theaters for a limited re-release on January 25, 2019.

“First Reformed” 

Nominated for:
Best Original Screenplay

Where to watch:
Available on home video
Streaming on Amazon.
Streaming on Kanopy. (Free with a valid library card from participating libraries.)

“If Beale Street Could Talk” 

Nominated for:
Best Supporting Actress (Regina King)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Score

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.

“Mary Poppins Returns”

Nominated for:
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Original Score
Best Original Song (“The Place Where Lost Things Go”)

Where to watch:
Playing in theaters nationwide.

“Mary Queen of Scots” 

Nominated for:
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Where to watch:
Playing theaters nationwide.

“A Quiet Place” 

Nominated for:
Best Sound Editing

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Available on Epix.

“Ready Player One” 

Nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Available on HBO.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” 

Nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Streaming on Netflix.

“The Wife” 

Nominated for:
Best Actress (Glenn Close)

Where to watch:
Available on home video.
Playing in select theaters.

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