Welcome back! Cineworld & Regal Cinemas set to reopen by July 10

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Following the lead of Cinemark and AMC Theatres, Cineworld Group has announced that Regal Cinemas is setting up to reopen all of their locations by July.

Regal Entertainment Group, which falls just behind AMC Theatres as the second largest theater group in the States, confirmed it will reopen cinemas in some of its markets during the last week of June, with all theaters expected to be back online during the course of July. Cineworld outlined a schedule for reopenings across nine markets with the U.S. and UK due on July 10. Czech Republic will go live June 26 as will Slovakia, while Poland and Bulgaria are looking towards a July 3 restart. In each of those four hubs, some locations are already open but the majors have held out. Israel is should be ready for reopening by July 9, and Hungary and Romania, which currently aren't confirmed, are anticipated to reopen the week of July 3. All dates are still subject to final clarifications and confirmation in relation to various government COVID-19 restrictions in certain territories.

Cineworld will follow the lead of other theater chains that are gearing up to reopen in terms of safety protocols that will need to be implemented in order to reopen safely. The company has updated its booking system to ensure social distancing within and throughout auditoriums, adapted its daily movie schedules to manage lines and to avoid the build-up of crowds in lobbies, and enhanced its cleanliness and sanitation procedures across all sites. Cineworld says their main priority “remains the health and well-being of both our customers and colleagues. As a result, it has made several operational changes and invested in new technology to ensure a safe but enjoyable cinematic experience for all our visitors.”

Cineworld chief Moody Greidinger had been looking at this timeframe for reopening for quite some time now. As is the case for most of the major theater chains, a lot of the decision of when to reopen had a lot to do with potential box office talent being out in the marketplace and major locations of operation issuing reopening guidelines. Movie theaters were given the go ahead to reopen in California last Friday, although most will aim for a late June start in order to rehire staff and make sure they have all the proper safety tools in place before getting started. New York, particularly the hub of New York City, should have their theaters ready to reopen by July 17 as well. Los Angeles and New York City represent the two biggest box office markets in the States. Greidinger had this to say about the excitement of reopening again:

"We are thrilled to be back and encouraged by recent surveys that show that many people have missed going to the movie theater. With a strong slate confirmed for the coming weeks, including among others Tenet, Mulan, A Quiet Place Part II, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, Bond, Soul, Top Gun Maverick and many more, the entire Cineworld team remains committed to being ‘the best place to watch a movie."

Regal Cinemas has been shuttered since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although they were initially pretty mum about when they would be reopening, I think seeing chains like Cinemark and AMC getting back in the game made them feel confident about jumping back in as well. With Cineworld announcing the reopening of Regal Cinemas, that secures all three major theater entities being on track to be back in operation in July. Other theater locations such as Arclight Cinemas and Alamo Drafthouse, have yet to announce reopening plans but I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't soon to follow.

Do YOU have a Regal Cinemas in your area? Will YOU feel comfortable going to one of their locations?