And … cut!
Movie theater chains are cutting back on the number of seats they’ll fill, the same day President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.
Regal and AMC both announced plans to cut seating capacity by 50% on Friday as both chains make moves to encourage “social distancing,” which can largely prevent the spread of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The moves come as plenty of movies face stalled production, delays or cancellation as the world struggle to maintain the deadly virus.
AMC said it will not surpass more than 250 people in individual theaters, USA Today reported.
“AMC is proactively taking action to cut in half the number of tickets that we will make available at all our U.S. theaters,” CEO Adam Aron told The Hollywood Reporter. “With this action, we are facilitating the ‘social distance’ between guests who still want to see movies on a big screen.”
The chain, which says it will also practice “enhanced” cleaning procedures, will operate at half capacity from March 14 until April 30.
Regal will “have reduced auditorium capacity by 50% and are complying, where applicable, with state mandates on social gathering limits,” per THR.
Cinemark will reduce capacity in California only, according to the report, and Alamo Drafthouse will have “buffer” seats between each guest that will be “unavailable for other guests to purchase.”
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