AMC Theatresis opening up 100 locations across North America on August 20th. In an effort to entice people to come back, they will celebrate by charging 15 cents per movie on August 20th only. The new promotion celebrates AMC’s 100 anniversary and is called, “Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices.” For people hoping to go see Christopher Nolan’sTenetfor 15 cents, you’re out of luck because it will be full price when it arrives on September 3rd. Catalog movies includingBack to the Future,Black Panther, andGhostbusterswill be some of the movies available to watch for 15 cents.
Movie theaters all over the worldhave been shut down since earlier this year. AMC, along with other major theater chains, has attempted to reopen numerous times since the public health crisis took hold. With that being said, they plan to open up 100 theaters by August 20th, which is about one-sixth of their total theaters. They hope to have two-thirds of their total theaters open by the time Christopher Nolan’sTenetopens on September 3rd.
This is a pretty lofty goal for AMC, especially since they have had many plans to reopen in the past. Even with 15 cent bargain movies, which will later go up to $5, people will more than likely be skeptical about sitting in a room with strangers for an extended period of time,even with masks on. AMC is requiring masks, along with all of the other major theater chains. AMC says customers “canexpect continuous extra cleaning and disinfecting of high traffic areas,” while hand sanitizer will be placed around the theater, and they will “limit seating capacity in our auditoriums.” AMC also claims that they will be using “high-tech HEPA vacuums” and “upgraded MERV 13 air filters wherever possible.”
Even with added safety measures, people will probably be weary of heading to a movie theater at this time. Cases are continuing to spike across North American cities with no signs of slowing down and people are continuing to stay indoors. Disney was supposed to release their live-action adaptation ofMulana few weeks ago and have since decided to, for the most part, skip out on a theatrical release in favor of streaming on Disney+ for a premium price.
Movie theaters have been struggling this year, along with all kinds of other businesses that depend on people coming into a physical environment. Concerts probably won’t happen on a large scale until there is a vaccine available and there really isn’t a timetable for that at the moment. So, will AMC be able to lure people back into theaters with a 15-cent promotion? Only time will tell, but it will be interesting to see if anyone takes advantage of the situation on August 20th.The Vergewas one of the first outlets to report on AMC reopening 100 theaters.
