The largest chain of theaters in the United States, AMC, has announced that it will be closing all of its 630 locations effective today, March 17.
As states such as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have made moves to close all movie theaters, the national chains have decided to take it across the country. Regal Cinemas was the first to make the move, and now it is joined by AMC.
While Regal called the closure indefinite, AMC has stated that its shut down will run for six weeks (April 28) to 12 weeks (June 9). The chain has said, however, that it will remain flexible in when it reopens.
“We are ever so disappointed for our moviegoing guests and for our employee teams that the new CDC guidelines that Americans should not gather in groups larger than 10 people make it impossible to open our theatres,” said AMC CEO and President Adam Aron. “Still, the health and wellbeing of AMC guests and employees, and of all Americans, takes precedence above all else. We will continue to monitor this situation very closely and look forward to the day we can again delight moviegoers nationwide by reopening AMC movie theatres in accordance with guidance from the CDC and local health authorities.”
AMC said that all A-List members will be suspended during the closure. “Members will be notified prior to this pause expiring and will have the option to choose to extend the pause for another month if they so desire,” the company said in a statement. “Additionally, any A-List member who did not renew their membership any time so far in calendar year 2020 will not have to wait the customary 6 months to rejoin.”
With the proposed closure period extending into early June, do not count on any film you were expecting in 2020 to hit its release date. This is going to cause a massive shift in what will be hitting the public and when.
IMAGE SOURCE: Shutterstock – AMC – Jon Kraft
