Despite COVID-19 cases continuing to climb, Cinemark — the third largest theatre chain in the U.S. — has announced plans to reopen all of its movie theatres by mid-July.
The company made the announcement early this morning, revealing Cinemark plans to have all chains back open by July 17. The plan, though, is a complicated one — and one that comes with various new sanitizing and social distancing protocols in place.
Cinemark — which operates 345 theaters in the U.S. — will be making its move gradually, first opening a handful of locations in Dallas on June 19 with more following around the U.S. from July 3 to July 17. The move comes as various high-profile films get set to premiere, including Disney's Mulan (July 24), Christopher Nolan's Tenet (July 31), the Russell Crowe film Unhinged (July 10) and Sony rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery (July 17).
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, industry insiders expect fellow U.S. theatre chains AMC and Regal to soon follow suit, with the publication reporting their theatres could be back up as early as July 10 in Los Angeles and New York City.
In Canada, the country's largest theatre chain Cineplex is gradually opening some locations in certain provinces. Cineplex will begin showing movies in six Alberta locations on June 26, while other small theatre operators have begun to reopen in British Columbia.
As for Cinemark's new protocols, the company will ramp up cleaning and sanitizing protocols. In addition, there will be reduced showtimes, staggered seating, hand sanitizing stations and increased air filtration.
When it comes to masks, however, it is up to individual moviegoers. Cinemark is strongly encouraging the use of masks, but they will not be mandatory. That said, Cinemark employees will wear face masks and gloves, as well as will need to undergo wellness checks before each shift.
"If a particular state or county requires face masks, we will abide by that," Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi told Variety. "We will strongly encourage it, but if the county or city has not deemed it a requirement, we will not require it on top of that."
Cinemark also plans to lure back movie fans by playing classic films such as Ghostbusters and Goonies at reduced prices ($5 for adults and $3 for kids). Customers will be encouraged to buy tickets online to reduce contact with the box office, and they can get a full refund if they aren't feeling well and can't attend the film.
"On a typical week, exhibition operates at 50 percent capacity. The only time we would run into a capacity problem is opening night," Zoradi said. "We will mitigate that by putting the big movie on more screens."
Patrons will be encouraged to buy tickets online to reduce contact at the box office. Additionally, guests can request a full refund if they aren't feeling well. Concession stand sales will be cashless and offered for a discounted price.
"We know people want to come back to the movies," Zoradi said. "It's just a matter of making sure people feel secure and safe to come back. That's why we've taken so much time and effort and invested millions of dollars. We know it's the right thing to do."
Down below, you can see the full detailed list of all the measures Cinemark plans to implement:
● All public and high-touch spaces, such as concession stands, door handles, drink stations, self-ticketing kiosks, benches and restrooms will be thoroughly sanitized every 30 minutes using products identified by the EPA to be effective in eliminating COVID-19.
● Each auditorium will be disinfected every morning, and all handrails and occupied seats, along with those on either side, will be sanitized between show times.
● All theatres will reopen with reduced operating hours and staggered showtimes to maximize physical distancing.
● For additional assurance, there will be seat wipes and ample hand sanitizer available for customer use.
● Auditoriums will have limited capacities that meet or exceed local ordinances and the seats adjacent to parties will be automatically blocked upon ticket purchase.
● In accordance with CDC recommendations, guests are strongly encouraged to wear face masks.
● Where applicable, Cinemark will adhere to local policies that require residents to wear face masks in public.
● Cinemark will be employing new tactics to increase the fresh air intake to enhance the overall air quality of our theatres and using High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) filtration in all vacuums.
● Cinemark has streamlined its in-theatre ticket verification processes, no longer requiring digital ticket holders to carry a paper ticket, and moviegoers purchasing tickets at the theatre will no longer need to hand their printed ticket to the ushers.
● All are encouraged to purchase tickets online and use contactless payment methods for a more contact-free experience. Guests who are not feeling well are asked to stay home, and Cinemark will gladly provide a full ticket refund.
● To help reduce potential contact between cash and food-handling areas, cash payments will not be accepted at the concession stand. However, each theatre will have a designated area where cash will be accepted, and gift cards will be available.
● There will be plenty of in-theatre signage that will encourage moviegoers to practice proper physical distancing as well as showcase the new protocols involved in The Cinemark Standard.
● Moviegoers are asked to properly dispose of their trash to further protect our employees and allow for maximized cleaning between showtimes.
The company made the announcement early this morning, revealing Cinemark plans to have all chains back open by July 17. The plan, though, is a complicated one — and one that comes with various new sanitizing and social distancing protocols in place.
Cinemark — which operates 345 theaters in the U.S. — will be making its move gradually, first opening a handful of locations in Dallas on June 19 with more following around the U.S. from July 3 to July 17. The move comes as various high-profile films get set to premiere, including Disney's Mulan (July 24), Christopher Nolan's Tenet (July 31), the Russell Crowe film Unhinged (July 10) and Sony rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery (July 17).
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, industry insiders expect fellow U.S. theatre chains AMC and Regal to soon follow suit, with the publication reporting their theatres could be back up as early as July 10 in Los Angeles and New York City.
In Canada, the country's largest theatre chain Cineplex is gradually opening some locations in certain provinces. Cineplex will begin showing movies in six Alberta locations on June 26, while other small theatre operators have begun to reopen in British Columbia.
As for Cinemark's new protocols, the company will ramp up cleaning and sanitizing protocols. In addition, there will be reduced showtimes, staggered seating, hand sanitizing stations and increased air filtration.
When it comes to masks, however, it is up to individual moviegoers. Cinemark is strongly encouraging the use of masks, but they will not be mandatory. That said, Cinemark employees will wear face masks and gloves, as well as will need to undergo wellness checks before each shift.
"If a particular state or county requires face masks, we will abide by that," Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi told Variety. "We will strongly encourage it, but if the county or city has not deemed it a requirement, we will not require it on top of that."
Cinemark also plans to lure back movie fans by playing classic films such as Ghostbusters and Goonies at reduced prices ($5 for adults and $3 for kids). Customers will be encouraged to buy tickets online to reduce contact with the box office, and they can get a full refund if they aren't feeling well and can't attend the film.
"On a typical week, exhibition operates at 50 percent capacity. The only time we would run into a capacity problem is opening night," Zoradi said. "We will mitigate that by putting the big movie on more screens."
Patrons will be encouraged to buy tickets online to reduce contact at the box office. Additionally, guests can request a full refund if they aren't feeling well. Concession stand sales will be cashless and offered for a discounted price.
"We know people want to come back to the movies," Zoradi said. "It's just a matter of making sure people feel secure and safe to come back. That's why we've taken so much time and effort and invested millions of dollars. We know it's the right thing to do."
Down below, you can see the full detailed list of all the measures Cinemark plans to implement:
● All public and high-touch spaces, such as concession stands, door handles, drink stations, self-ticketing kiosks, benches and restrooms will be thoroughly sanitized every 30 minutes using products identified by the EPA to be effective in eliminating COVID-19.
● Each auditorium will be disinfected every morning, and all handrails and occupied seats, along with those on either side, will be sanitized between show times.
● All theatres will reopen with reduced operating hours and staggered showtimes to maximize physical distancing.
● For additional assurance, there will be seat wipes and ample hand sanitizer available for customer use.
● Auditoriums will have limited capacities that meet or exceed local ordinances and the seats adjacent to parties will be automatically blocked upon ticket purchase.
● In accordance with CDC recommendations, guests are strongly encouraged to wear face masks.
● Where applicable, Cinemark will adhere to local policies that require residents to wear face masks in public.
● Cinemark will be employing new tactics to increase the fresh air intake to enhance the overall air quality of our theatres and using High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) filtration in all vacuums.
● Cinemark has streamlined its in-theatre ticket verification processes, no longer requiring digital ticket holders to carry a paper ticket, and moviegoers purchasing tickets at the theatre will no longer need to hand their printed ticket to the ushers.
● All are encouraged to purchase tickets online and use contactless payment methods for a more contact-free experience. Guests who are not feeling well are asked to stay home, and Cinemark will gladly provide a full ticket refund.
● To help reduce potential contact between cash and food-handling areas, cash payments will not be accepted at the concession stand. However, each theatre will have a designated area where cash will be accepted, and gift cards will be available.
● There will be plenty of in-theatre signage that will encourage moviegoers to practice proper physical distancing as well as showcase the new protocols involved in The Cinemark Standard.
● Moviegoers are asked to properly dispose of their trash to further protect our employees and allow for maximized cleaning between showtimes.