U.S. theaters hopeful they’ll reopen in late July

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Movie theaters have been shuttered nationwide since March 16 and moviegoers wonder every day when they will open once again. AMC's CEO was optimistic they could open again in mid-June but other theater owners in the States think it could happen a little later than that.

According to a new report, theater operators are currently planning for a late summer reopen, with strategy talks ongoing. The hope is for this to happen in late July but they're fully aware they will be facing an uphill batter since most summer releases have vacated their release dates. Pixar's SOUL became one of the last major releases to flee off of June with only lower-tier films such as FATALE & THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND still remaining on June 19. The earliest big wide release, as of now, is Christopher Nolan's TENET on July 17 & Disney's MULAN, which was delayed from its original March date to now open on July 24. Movie theaters have to deal with moviegoers grappling with the decision to want to go to crowded theaters once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and with a lack of new content to present to the moviegoing public.

There has been some talk that theater owners have been in discussions with studios to showcase older titles to ease the public back into going to the movies again. They would either be offered for free or for a reduced price but these talks are still ongoing. The train of thought is that classic blockbuster titles such as BACK TO THE FUTURE or the HARRY POTTER movies could be a good way to test the waters before studios gamble with their expensive new releases. In terms of the public's concern about being in mass groups as the coronavirus is still very much a threat, theaters would certainly be taking extra precautions, such as extra cleaning and reduced capacity, although this may not be enough. Patrick Corcoran, a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners, had this to say about the issue:

"There are two schools of thought. People will be very tense and careful and nervous, or people will just be desperate to get out of the house. It's going to probably be a mixture."

The issue may not be restricted to the U.S. when it comes to studios feeling comfortable releasing new films. A lot of these big-budget endeavors have a global footprint and studios will be looking at the behaviors of moviegoing worldwide when it comes to their decision making on handling these releases. Chris Aronson, president of film distribution at Paramount Pictures, seemed to agree with this sentiment:

"If there is great uncertainty in major parts of the world, I think there are going to be issues opening major films."

There is still a level of uncertainty about all of this and we are really in a wait and see scenario when it comes to opening the movie theaters back up. Here in California, Governor Newsom was cryptic about mass gatherings being "negligible" and "unlikely" for the months of June or July but one has to wonder if a trip to the movies would be considered a mass gathering since establishments could work out plans for crowd control and limiting capacity. A lot of this will come down to the public and the flattening of the curve when it comes to the virus. Some areas are doing better than others but I'm sure theater owners will be paying close to attention to bigger locations in the States such as California and New York before making their final decisions.

Are YOU optimistic movie theaters will open again by late July?