AMC, Regal, Landmark Theatres Close Amid Outbreak

LOS ANGELES, CA — The nation's largest movie chain is closing all its theaters to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. AMC Theatres joined several other chains such as Regal Entertainment Group Tuesday in closing theatres nationwide. It's the latest major round of closure triggered by the pandemic.

"In compliance with local, state, and federal #COVID19 directives, all #AMCTheatres locations are now closed for at least 6-12 weeks," AMC tweeted Tuesday morning.

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"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 theaters," AMC CEO Adam Aron said. "Still, the health and well-being of AMC guests and employees, and of all Americans, takes precedence above all else."

Regal —the nation's second-largest movie theater chain — made a similar announcement Monday, after President Trump advised all Americans to avoid social gatherings of 10 or more people until the crisis has passed. Regal said all its theaters would be closed "until further notice."

Landmark Theatres, which specializes in independent films, is also temporarily closed.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday night that all movie theaters in the city should close, following guidelines from state and federal officials.

Universal Pictures said Monday that its movies will be made available for home streaming on the same day as their global theatrical releases.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.