Regal Cinemas to start reopening on April 2nd

pseudo3d
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by pseudo3d »

Alpha8472 wrote: October 3rd, 2020, 10:15 pm Wow, things can change so much in just a short period of time. Cinemas and multiplexes have been packed for many years. I always thought that going to the movies was something that people would always want to do. Movie theaters seemed like a business that would be around and successful no matter what went on in the world. When September 11 happened, people escaped to the cinemas. When wars happened, people still went to the cinemas. These were places where you felt comfortable and where you went to escape the troubles of life. Now even these sacred places are abandoned.

There was a time when drive in movie theaters were not doing so well and they were being bulldozed to build megaplexes. Now it is the opposite. The drive in movie theaters are doing great while the indoor cinemas are closing down.

With all of the changes, there could be many dead cinemas spread across the country for years. This will rival even dead malls. People will tour the dead megaplex cinemas and remember a time when people used to flock to the cinemas like when they flocked to the malls.
The theaters are struggling because people can't go to the movie theaters anymore, and the ones that are open have all sorts of restrictions in play. Talking about changed consumer behavior in this era (especially around movie theaters) is like shooting someone in the kneecaps and coming to the conclusion that they don't like walking anymore.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by BillyGr »

It also doesn't say these closures are permanent - might just make sense to close them until more new movies are available if they aren't getting enough viewers to be at least covering the costs.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by storewanderer »

It will be interesting to see how the landlords handle this. Obviously if they pay rent they are probably in the clear. But what if some other cinema operator offers to come take the space and open it up (what will they play)? Cinemas are typically an anchor to draw a large number of people to your (mall, shopping center, street block, whatever) and a dark cinema can spell doom for surrounding small businesses. Granted the cinemas have been dark since March/April anyway but a surprising number of businesses have limped along (with the help of PPP Loans and excellent expense controls) this far. Not sure how many will make it over the next hurdle (another dark cinema period) though.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by Alpha8472 »

I just realized that movie theaters in my area of the San Francisco Bay Area have been open since last week. The theaters certainly must be empty as there is zero advertising.

There are some old movies: The Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, Beetlejuice, and some new movies.

I would only go if there were zero people in the theater. I have gone to movies at 10 PM on weeknights before COVID-19 and found no other customers. The late night showtimes are no more. Most theaters are closing around 9 PM.

Regal Cinemas luckily does not run cinemas in my area.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by pseudo3d »

Alpha8472 wrote: October 8th, 2020, 3:15 am I just realized that movie theaters in my area of the San Francisco Bay Area have been open since last week. The theaters certainly must be empty as there is zero advertising.

There are some old movies: The Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, Beetlejuice, and some new movies.
With the current stuff that the film industry has been churning out for the last few years, I'd go to some of the old ones in a heartbeat, though the idea of wearing a mask for two hours straight is nauseating.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by Brian Lutz »

Just got an email from Regal that reads as follows:

"Regal will temporarily suspend operations at all theaters at close of business on Thursday, October 8, 2020 until further notice. This is in response to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures."

And yes, a lot of their theaters are in areas where they are not allowed to open. Here in Washington Regal is by far the largest theater operator. and most of the state is still in phase 2 where theaters remain fully closed, with little indication that the governor is going to move beyond phase 2 any time soon.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by Alpha8472 »

Most theaters say you can take off your mask in the auditorium. People can eat and drink also.
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Re: Regal Cinemas reportedly shutting down

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://komonews.com/news/business/rega ... n-in-april

Regal has announced that they will reopen roughly 500 theaters (out of 549 total) on April 2nd at 25% or 50% capacity depending on local guidelines, corresponding to the release of Godzilla Vs. Kong. They have also made a deal with Warner Brothers to get a 45-day exclusive window on new release movies starting in 2022 (all new WB movies in 2021 will be on HBO Max on release day.)
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Re: Regal Cinemas to start reopening on April 2nd

Post by SamSpade »

Brian beat me to it, posting my local link for anyone else curious about SW Washington and Oregon properties (although it is still bylined AP, weirdly)
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/202 ... april.html
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Re: Regal Cinemas to start reopening on April 2nd

Post by Alpha8472 »

A limit of 50 people in an entire theater is crazy. Do they mean auditorium? If a 16 screen theater can only have 50 people total, then it will not be very profitable.
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