Regal Cinemas Announces Reopening Date
NEW YORK, NY — If you're itching to go to the movies and not screen them in your living room, take heart that Regal Cinemas announced that it will be reopening its theaters beginning Friday, July 10. However, there will be a few differences between pre-pandemic moviegoing and now.
Reopening plans will include a range of health and safety measures as suggested by guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health organizations.
By July 10, if the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions stay on track with the coronavirus metrics, both regions should be in Phase 4 of reopening which covers arts, entertainment, recreation and education.
In the Hudson Valley, there are Regal Cinemas in New Rochelle, Nanuet, Mohegan Lake, Poughkeepsie and Fishkill.
On Long Island, locations include Westbury, Farmingdale, Lynbrook, Deer Park, Hampton Bays, Southampton, East Hampton and Ronkonoma.
According to a news release from the company, the reopening plan also includes safety measures based on feedback received from employees and customers that they consider important for their return to the theater.
Regal said it will be providing new contactless payment options and sanitizing methods.
Along with the ability to purchase tickets in advance on the Regal mobile app, moviegoers will also have the option of buying concession items from the app.
Regarding sanitization, every auditorium and seat will be sanitized after each film using new electrostatic fogger equipment.
"This form of deep sanitization is highly effective in disinfecting all materials with a non-toxic formula that is fast drying," the company said.
Additionally, every auditorium's high-contact points will be sanitized on an increased schedule and floor markers will be used throughout the building to assist with social distancing.
Moviegoers will find wall-mounted sanitizer dispensers on either side of the lobby's main entrance. Customers will be encouraged to get to the auditorium as soon as possible and leave the theater "in a timely manner" at the end of the movie.
There will be no vending machines or water fountains, and depending on local regulations, arcade games may be closed.
Feeling peckish or thirsty? There will be a reduced menu of offering at the concession stand and there will be no self-serve condiments. You can also forget about refills on large drinks and popcorn.
If your theater is lucky enough to have a restaurant or in-theater ordering, those services will be suspended. Locations with bars will remain open only for walk-up service.
Once you finally get to the auditorium where your movie is showing, depending on state or local mandates, you may find the capacity of the auditorium limited to 50 percent, Regal said in its news release.
The reservation system will maintain two empty seats between groups. In theaters that don't have reserved seats, moviegoers will be requested to leave two seats between groups. And group sizes could be limited depending on state or local regulations.
This article originally appeared on the New Rochelle Patch
