Remember all the way back in January, when we were still going to the movies? Well, it looks like we’re finally getting back to the silver screen.
The country’s largest movie theater chain, AMC Theatres, is poised to reopen its doors Aug. 20, when more than 100 of the brand’s cinemas will begin showing movies once again.
To encourage cinephiles to fill the socially distanced seats, AMC Theatres is offering patrons 15-cent tickets on opening day, a retro-styled initiative the popular brand has dubbed “Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices.”
AMC Theatres was founded in 1920 with a single-screen theater on the corner of 12th Street and Grand Boulevard in Kansas City, according to KETK-TV. The chain will be offering customers throwback showings of movies like “Inception,” “Black Panther,” “Back to the Future,” “Grease,” and “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.”
After opening day, throwback movie tickets will be priced at $5. Newer movies will begin premiering, too, Aug. 21 at traditional prices.
The much-anticipated reopening comes just days before two expected film releases: Disney’s “The New Mutants” on Aug. 28 and Warner Bros.’ “Tenet” on Sept. 3.
As the chain is beginning to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, certain restrictions will be in place. Auditorium seating will be limited to make space for social distancing, patrons will be required to wear masks during showings, and cinemas will continuously undergo enhanced cleaning procedures, which were developed by the Harvard University School of Public Health with the help of The Clorox Company.
Each AMC Theatres auditorium will also undergo deep cleaning every night and the air filtration systems in the chain’s auditoriums have been upgraded.
The announcement from AMC Theatres comes a few days after its top competitor, Regal Cinemas, announced it, too, would begin reopening Aug. 21.