Neighbor News
Regal Cinemas To Re-Close Theatres Nationwide
The theatre chain, which had re-opened all locations on Aug. 21, will shut their doors again in response to low business.
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.- Those wanting to run back to a certain theatre chain will have to wait a while longer.
Less than two months after re-opening, Regal Cinemas has announced that they will be re-closing all theatres nationwide in response to growing pandemic concerns. This closure will shut the doors of 536 locations across the United States, including the Regal Lincolnshire 15 & IMAX in Lincolnshire. Other Illinois locations include Crystal Lake and Round Lake, among others.
The theatre chain, which is owned by British cinema corporation Cineworld, had originally closed nationwide back in March after movie production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Movie theatres were one of the locations that experts were concerned about the most in their attempts to re-open the country, as sealed auditoriums with close seating is a recipe for disaster.
Find out what's happening in Buffalo Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Despite the virus, Regal deemed their locations safe enough to re-open back towards the end of the summer and welcomed patrons back on Aug. 21. The re-opening processes of these theatres were wrought with issues, however, as customers seemed to not feel safe going back to the movies. The only major summer release, Christopher Nolan's Tenet, earned just $20 million in its opening weekend.
Overall, customers have simply not been returning to movie theatres. A September survey found that only 18% of consumers were willing to go to a movie theatre. This is simply not enough for theatres to remain profitable, especially with their high operating costs and the fact that most chains have already lost billions during the pandemic.
Find out what's happening in Buffalo Grovefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Another factor in Regal's decision to close seems to be the almost complete stoppage of new movie releases. Major films have been pushed back to 2021. Patty Jenkin's Wonder Woman 1984 was already pushed back twice and it is now being rumored that it will cancel its theatrical release, and Denis Villeneuve's Dune has been delayed a full year to October 2021. With very few movies coming out, there is not enough of a reason for theatres to keep their doors open.
Regal has not made any statements on when or if they will re-open their theatres, but the closure is expected to remain in effect until 2021 at the earliest.
