AMC Theatres to reopen locations on Aug. 20 with one-day-only 15-cent movie tickets
One day after the United States reported the highest number of deaths in a single day from the novel coronavirus since mid-May, AMC Theatres announced plans to start the first phase of reopening theaters with a "Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices" plan that will see more than 100 American-based cinemas offering 15-cent movie tickets for patrons.
The promotion is a one-day-only affair on Aug. 20, which is seven days from now. It's inspired by the founding of AMC Theatres, which started in 1920 when the Dubinsky Brothers established a single movie screen in Kansas City, Mo.
“We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies," Adam Aron, CEO and President of AMC Theatres, said in a statement. "As our guests return on our first day of resumed operations on Aug. 20, we invite them to join us in celebrating a return to the movies, and in celebrating 100 years of AMC making smiles happen with movies at 1920 prices of only 15 cents each.”
Will this be enough to bring people back to movie theaters? Better question, should people go back to theaters?
Total cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., which resulted in more than 163,000 deaths in the country and counting, have surpassed 5.1 million. President Donald Trump has been pushing schools to reopen, which has already caused some to close back up after students contracted the respiratory illness. The country reported almost 1,500 deaths on Wednesday, the highest single-day count since May. Meanwhile, some states — including New York, which became an early epicenter for COVID-19 — have reported declining infection rates.
The Aug. 20 promotion for AMC is just part of the first phase of reopening plans. The company expects to reopen as much as two-thirds of its more than 600 theater locations in the U.S. by Sept. 3. What's on Sept. 3? Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which was delayed multiple times to hold out for a theatrical release.
This week, Disney also confirmed that The New Mutants, the X-Men horror thriller, is still set to come out in theaters and IMAX on Aug. 28.
AMC also has plans after Aug. 20 to bring back certain movies to theaters at the price of $5 movie tickets. Those include Inception, Black Panther, Ghostbusters, Grease, and Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back.
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.
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