Regal Cinemas across Virginia to begin reopening in April, May

by: Associated Press, Emma North

Posted: Mar 30, 2021 / 09:17 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 30, 2021 / 09:17 PM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC/AP) — Good news for Virginia’s moviegoers, Regal Cinemas is getting close to reopening their doors to guests. The company has announced reopening dates for multiple locations in Virginia, with the first one coming back on April 16.

According to the Associated Press, Regal had been one of most notable holdouts in the gradual reopening of cinemas nationwide. For nearly half a year, its 7,211 screens and 549 theatres in the U.S. have been dark. Doors will open early next month with attendance limited to 25% to 50% capacity in about 500 locations.

Cineworld also agreed to a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Beginning next year, the studio’s releases will have a 45-day exclusive window at Regal cinemas, roughly slicing in half the traditional period. That doesn’t apply to Warner releases this year, which are streaming simultaneously on HBO Max when they open in theaters.

Regal’s April 2 reopening coincides with the release of Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla vs. Kong.”

About half of North American theaters were open as of mid-March, according to data firm Comscore. In the past few weeks, theaters have been allowed to reopen in New York and Los Angeles — the two largest U.S. markets — for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

The following reopening dates have been scheduled:

April 16