AMC Theatres announced their plans to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. AMC is expected to resume operations at 450 locations starting July 15th and is hoping to be fully operational by the time that Mulan hits theaters on July 24th and Tenet on July 31.
AMC announced a variety of new measures it will be taking including:
- reducing seating capacity to 30% every showtime to start
- Over time, that will increase to 40% and then 50% capacity
- AMC hopes that it will be able to have half of its auditoriums full by Labor Day and projects that it will be at full capacity by Thanksgiving
- allowing extra time between screenings for disinfection cleanings
- promoting social distancing with blocked out seating to decrease congestion
- pushing guests to use online ticketing to limit interactions with staff
- designating points within theaters for one-way foot traffic
- implementing new cleaning procedures in accordance with expert guidelines
- placing hand-sanitizing stations throughout its theaters
- encouraging contact-less and cash-free concessions
- limiting their food menu to soda and popcorn for efficiency
AMC will also sell masks for a dollar to guests who forgot to bring one. When this plan was first announced, AMC was not mandating guests to wear masks. Today, they just changed their tune and reverse course and will require that all AMC guests nationwide wear masks as they enter and enjoy movies at our theatres. AMC employees will be required to wear masks.
AMC will not perform temperature checks on customers, though it will monitor its employees’ temperatures and have them undergo screenings to check for signs of coronavirus.
As it worked to establish and implement new procedures, AMC partnered with The Clorox Company and current and former faculty of Harvard University’s School of Public Health.
“We didn’t rush to reopen,” AMC CEO and president Adam Aron said in an interview with Variety. “There were some jurisdictions in some states, such as Georgia and Texas, that allowed people to reopen theaters in mid-May. We opted to remain closed, so we could give the country time to get a better handle on coronavirus. We wanted to use this time to figure out how best to open and how to do so safely.”
