Posted in: Disney, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: AMC Theatres, cinemark, disney, mulan, regal cinemas, tenet, Warner Bros

Cinemark Delays Reopening Theaters Due to COVID-19

Published Thu, 23 Jul 2020 11:45:51 -0500

by Tom Chang

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In light of the latest delays of new film releases, the Cleveland-based national chain Cinemark will postpone reopening their theaters for a second time. Their second reopening was planned for July 24th, but it won't look like the case, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The company continues to evaluate [the] availability of new studio content, [the] status of the virus and local government regulations as it plans for the phased reopening of its U.S. theatres. All locations will reopen with greatly enhanced cleanliness, sanitizing, and safety measures at every step of the moviegoing experience," the statement from Cinemark read.

DAVIE, FLORIDA, USA - MAY 29, 2018: Front facade of Cinemark Paradise 24 movie theater with Egyptian theme. Editorial credit: Holly Guerrio / Shutterstock.com — DAVIE, FLORIDA, USA – MAY 29TH, 2018: Front facade of Cinemark Paradise 24 movie theater with Egyptian theme. Editorial credit: Holly Guerrio / Shutterstock.com

Did Tenet's Delay Spark Cinemark's Decision?

The latest decision comes on the heels of Warner Bros' decision to delay the much-anticipated Christopher Nolan thriller Tenet. Following the film's initial delay, the studio rescheduled the release for August 12th but now postponed indefinitely in light of the surge of COVID-19 cases nationally. "We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet Christopher Nolan's wholly original and mind-blowing feature," said WB chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement July 20th. "Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen."

Other Films and Chains

So far, Disney's Mulan's current release date of August 21st remains unchained. The live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated film that stars Liu Yifei was among a slew of blockbusters affected by the pandemic as one of the original planned for release earlier in the summer. AMC Theatres delayed their reopening to mid-late August. Regal Cinemas haven't announced any plans to postpone their July 31st reopening yet. The theaters that already reopened in specific locations are screening classic films like Star Wars: The Empire Strike Back (1980) to entice patrons to come back.

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