Which cinemas are closed due to coronavirus? – Variety

Cinemas in several states – Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington – have been ordered to close in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This unprecedented move comes as theater chains – with the exception of Regal cinemas – have tried to stay open while taking steps to reduce capacity. Exhibitors expect the order to soon spread across the country as authorities begin to restrict non-essential public gatherings to stop the spread of the virus.

On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that public gatherings involving more than 50 people be canceled for the next eight weeks. In many states, the new restrictions also apply to bars and sit-down restaurants, although food establishments are generally permitted to offer take-out food.

The governors of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey issued a joint statement on Monday saying that the theaters of the three states will be closed "temporarily" from 8:00 p.m. Meanwhile, Indianapolis, Indiana County public health authorities have ordered closings starting at 8:00 am Tuesday. But it is unclear how long individual states will close theaters, restaurants and other public gathering spaces. Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf have announced that cinemas, restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues in their respective states will be closed for two weeks.

On Monday afternoon, Colorado governor Jared Polis announced that theaters will also be closed, as well as gymnasiums and casinos. Restaurants and bars were limited to take-out service only. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also closed theaters from 5 p.m. Tuesday.

In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker has ordered public gathering places, including theaters, to limit occupancy to 25 people. Local governments have taken similar steps. Los Angeles County has ordered the closure of all movie theaters, as has San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Anchorage, Alaska, has also closed cinemas.

Although most theater owners hoped to keep the lights on to varying degrees due to the public health crisis, Regal Cinemas, one of the nation's largest channels, announced Monday that the 543 locations in the United States States would close by Tuesday.

The exhibition industry remained open over the weekend, but ticket sales at the national box office plummeted to historic lows, generating about $ 55 million between Friday and Sunday. In comparison, Disney-Pixar's "Onward" alone made $ 39 million the previous weekend. The cinemas will be a huge success for the global box office, which is already in shock from the massive closings in China, the second largest world cinema market, as well as in South Korea, Italy and other regions heavily affected by coronavirus.

Theater circuits such as AMC, Alamo Drafthouse, Arclight and Regal took enhanced measures to increase safety and sanitation last weekend. In accordance with CDC recommendations on social distancing, multiplexes have reduced the number of tickets sold per auditorium by 50%.

Even before the mandatory closings, Hollywood studios changed their release plans for major movies like Disney "Mulan" and "The New Mutants", the "A Quiet Place" sequel to Paramount, the "Fast & Furious" component of d & # 39; Universal "F9" and MGM "No Time to Die” – which would have resulted in less content being displayed on the big screen.

In Hollywood and in all industries, crucial developments regarding the virus are taking place at a rapid pace. On Monday, much of the entertainment industry, including Broadway, theme parks and television and movie production, was shut down or stopped to stop the spread of the coronavirus.