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AMC Theatres announced Friday that it would reduce theater capacity to each auditorium to at least 50% starting Saturday, Deadline reports.
What’s going on?
- AMC will reduce theater capacity through April 30.
- AMC will cap ticket sales for each showtime in auditoriums until 50% of seating capacity is achieved.
- Theaters with 500 seats will be cut off at 250 maximum.
- AMC will also consult with local authorities to comply with city, state and federal guidelines.
What they’re saying:
- Adam Aron, CEO and president of AMC Theatres, said: “The health and safety of our guests and theatre teams are of the utmost importance to AMC. Therefore, AMC is proactively taking action to cut in half the number of tickets that we will make available at all our U.S. theatres. With this action, we are facilitating the ‘social distance’ between guests who still want to see movies on a big screen.”
Why this matters:
- Deadline said: “As the largest theater chain in the U.S., unfortunately that will spell a downturn for pics at the box office of course.”
- Megaplex Theatres said it would reduce capacity to no more than 75 guests per theater, according to my report for the Deseret News.
- Stock prices for Walt Disney Co. and AMC Entertainment already dropped due to the coronavirus, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Should movie theaters close?
- A new poll from The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult found about 38% of American support closing movie theaters during the outbreak. But 44% said all theaters should not close, as I wrote for the Deseret News.