Regal Movie Theater In Hamilton Commons To Close For Now
MAYS LANDING, NJ — Regal Theatres will suspend operations at all United States locations starting Thursday, including the Hamilton Commons location. But the company expects them to reopen.
The closure, currently planned to be temporary, is a response "to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic," the parent company Cineworld confirmed in a statement Monday.
There are 536 Regal theaters in the United States, including 11 in New Jersey. The company explained that studios have been reluctant to release their pipeline of new films.
As such, Regal is unable to have a "breadth of strong commercial films necessary for them to consider coming back to theatres against the backdrop of COVID-19," Cineworld said in its statement.
Approximately 45,000 employees will be impacted by the closures.
Governor Phil Murphy ordered the closure of movie theaters and other "non-essential" businesses in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. He allowed theaters to reopen at limited capacity in early September.
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Moviegoers can still catch a flick at Regal Hamilton Commons. Click here for showtimes.
The situation will be monitored closely, the company said, noting it would communicate any future plans to resume operations at the appropriate time, "when key markets have more concrete guidance on their reopening status and, in turn, studios are able to bring their pipeline of major releases back to the big screen."
Company leaders said it was not an easy decision to make.
"This is not a decision we made lightly, and we did everything in our power to support safe and sustainable reopenings in all of our markets — including meeting, and often exceeding, local health and safety guidelines in our theatres and working constructively with regulators and industry bodies to restore public confidence in our industry," said Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger.
Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
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