#Cinemark to reopen all US movie theaters by July 17

Cinemark, the third largest movie theater chain in the US, announced a phased reopening plan on Wednesday that will see all of its cinemas up and running by mid-July.

The chain, which operates 555 theaters globally, said it will open a handful of Dallas locations on June 19 with the rest of its cinemas following suit between July 3 and July 17 after state-ordered lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus shuttered its theaters nationwide.

Last week, AMC, the nation’s largest theater said it planned on reopening in July, but did not give a specific date. Meanwhile, Regal Entertainment parent Cineworld both said Tuesday that it plans to open the majority of its theaters on July 10. It expects all of the locations to be open by July 24.

All three exhibitors temporarily closed their doors nationwide in mid-March as the coronavirus outbreak began. The move had a devastating impact on the movie theater industry with all three chains laying off employees and predicting financial troubles as a result.

The pandemic also caused Hollywood studios to delay their summer blockbusters, which will impact the movie theaters when they reopen next month. In order to fill the gaps, Cinemark will offer moviegoers the chance to watch “classics” on the big screen like “Jurassic Park,” Ghostbusters” and “Inception” at a reduced ticket price. It will also screen new Hollywood releases, Disney’s “Mulan” and Warner Bros.’ “Tenet,” which come out July 24 and July 31, respectively.

In order to ease customers back, Cinemark Chief Executive Mark Zorandi detailed some safety guidelines on Wednesday that the chain is putting into place ahead of the reopening. They include cleaning the “high touch” areas of the venues every 30 minutes, requiring employees to wear masks and gloves, as well as providing hand sanitizer and seat wipes to moviegoers.

Cinemark will also operate its business at a reduced capacity by shortening hours of operation and limiting seating capacity to “maximize physical distancing.”

“We have developed The Cinemark Standard for an extra level of cleaning and sanitizing that guests will notice from the moment they walk back through our doors,” the CEO said. “Our teams are trained, prepared and eager to once again entertain movie lovers in an environment that cannot be replicated in-home.”