South Florida Regal Movie Theaters, Along With Rest Of Chain, Closing Their Doors Again
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - South Florida's Regal Cinemas will join the rest of the chain nationwide and close their doors again.
There are six Regal Cinemas in Broward and four in Miami-Dade.
Cineworld Group, the parent company to Regal Cinemas, said the postponement of big Hollywood releases was partly to blame.
After producers pushed the release of the latest James Bond installment, "No Time to Die," from November 2020 to April 2021, Cineworld announced it is temporarily closing all 536 Regal Cinema Theaters in the US. Those screens will go dark on Thursday.
"We were bleeding much bigger amounts when we are open than when we are closed. We'll be like a grocery shop with no food," says Mooky Greidinger, Cineworld Group's chief executive.
Cineworld Group also has 127 movie theaters in the U.K. In both countries, some 45,000 employees are affected.
Most movie theaters across the country reopened in August, promising a safe experience for customers. But with social distancing, there are fewer seats available and movie studios fear they won't recuperate what they spent.
Christopher Nolen's "Tenet" tested the waters with disappointing domestic box office results. And the new live action "Mulan" stayed on the small screen. With nothing new to offer, Disney re-released 1993's "Hocus Pocus," and this weekend it was #2 at the box office.
Still, none of those movies are playing in New York where the governor has refused to allow movie theaters to reopen. Industry watchers say if the city does not loosen restrictions soon, other major titles slated for this year, like "Wonder Woman 1984" and Pixar's "Soul," could get pushed back to next year.
According to John Fithian from the National Association of Theater Owners, "A lot of journalists live in New York, a lot of film critics live in New York, a lot of culture influencers live in New York and without New York open, the major studios are reluctant to give us their big movies. And without big movies, we can't get people back in the cinemas."
Last Wednesday, industry executives and actors sent a letter asking Congress for COVID-19 relief, specifically for "our country's beloved movie theaters." They said without it, theaters may not survive.
