On Thursday, major movie theater chains reopened their doors to the public across the country but New Jersey theaters remained closed after a federal judge ruling. Gov. Phil Murphy has not okayed the reopening of movie theaters in New Jersey. Some theaters in Pennsylvania are already open and New York may be next to open select theaters.
AMC Theatres welcomed moviegoers back Thursday and celebrated its 100th anniversary with a “Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices” promotion. Theatergoers who snagged 15-cent tickets on Thursday were able to see movies including “Black Panther,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Back to the Future.” On Friday, regular prices resumed for showings of Russell Crowe’s “Unhinged” and a re-release of Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” to mark its 10th anniversary.
AMC began by opening about 100 theaters around the country on Thursday with the goal of having most of their theaters operational by Labor Day for the September for the release of Nolan’s new film, “Tenet.”
Before the pandemic, AMC had outfitted its theaters with luxury seating. The coronavirus nearly pushed the theater chain into bankruptcy in June as theaters were shuttered to enforce social distancing and stop the spread of the virus. With theaters closed, studios pushed back movie release dates or released them on-demand so viewers could watch movies from home.
As New Jersey families turned to TV and drive-in movies for their entertainment over the summer, many were eager to get back into theaters, albeit with caution. With contactless payment, increased sanitation, mask-wearing policies and social distancing in theaters, movie theaters are hoping the public will be able to get back to the movies safely.
At AMC, theatergoers will need to wear masks at all times, except when enjoying food and drinks in their seats. There will be no drink refills and condiments will be available by request only. Auditoriums will be at 40 percent capacity or less, and cashless transactions are preferred though cash will be accepted. Click here to find the closest out-of-state theater that has reopened.
Below is a list of coming attractions:
- Aug. 28: “The New Mutants”
- Aug. 28: “Bill and Ted Face the Music”
- Sept. 3: “Tenet”
- Sept. 18: “The King’s Man”
- Oct. 2: “Wonder Woman 1984”
- Oct. 16: “Candyman”
- Oct. 23: “Death on the Nile”
- Nov. 6: “Black Widow”
- Nov. 20: “Soul”
- Nov. 20: “No Time to Die”
- Dec. 11: “Free Guy”
- Dec. 18: “Dune”
- Dec. 18: “West Side Story”
- Dec. 18: “Coming 2 America”
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