October 05, 2020
Regal Cinemas – the second largest movie theater chain in the United States – is temporarily closing all theaters Thursday due to major financial losses triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The massive shutdown affects 536 theaters, including 16 in the Philadelphia region. Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, announced Monday that it also is closing 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse theaters in the United Kingdom.
There is no timetable for their reopening.
Here's the list of the affected theaters in Southeastern Pennsylvania:
PHILADELPHIA
• Regal UA Riverview Plaza, 1400 S. Columbus Blvd., South Philly
• Regal UA Main Street Theatre, 3720 Main St., Manyunk
• Regal UA Grant Plaza, 1619 Grant Ave., Northeast Philly
BUCKS COUNTY
• Regal Barn Plaza, 1745 S. Easton Road, Doylestown
• Regal UA Oxford Valley, 403 Middletown Blvd., Langhorne
• Regal Richland Crossing, 185 N. West End Blvd., Quakertown
• Regal Warrington Crossing, 104 Easton Road, Warrington
CHESTER COUNTY
• Regal Downingtown, 100 Quarry Road, Downingtown
DELAWARE COUNTY
• Regal Edgmont Square, 4777 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
• Regal Plymouth Meeting, 1011 Ridge Pike, Conshohocken
• Regal UA King of Prussia, 300 Goddard Blvd., King of Prussia
• Regal Oaks, 180 Mill Road, Oaks
Here are the affected theaters in South Jersey:
BURLINGTON COUNTY
• Regal Burlington, 250 Bromley Blvd., Burlington Township
• Regal Moorestown Mall, 400 Route 38, Moorestown
GLOUCESTER COUNTY
• Regal UA Washington Township, 121 Tuckahoe Road, Sewell
• Regal Cross Keys, 151 American Blvd., Turnersville
Cineworld reported losing $1.6 billion in the first half of 2020 as the public health crisis brought the entertainment industry to a halt.
"As major U.S. markets, mainly New York, remained closed and without guidance on reopening timing, studios have been reluctant to release their pipeline of new films," Cineworld said in a statement. "In turn, without these new releases, Cineworld cannot provide customers ... with the breadth of strong commercial films necessary for them to consider coming back to theatres against the backdrop of COVID-19."
Rumors of the closures first circulated Friday, when the new James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," delayed its premiere until next spring. The film is among several blockbusters, including Marvel's highly anticipated "Black Widow," that have pushed back their 2020 release dates. The delays have had a significant impact on the theater business.
On Sunday, Cineword acknowledged that it was "considering" closing all of its U.S. locations.
We can confirm we are considering the temporary closure of our U.K. and US cinemas, but a final decision has not yet been reached. Once a decision has been made we will update all staff and customers as soon as we can.
— Cineworld Cinemas (@cineworld) October 4, 2020
The company confirmed the news Monday, citing the delayed premieres of major movies. The closures impact about 45,000 employees.
"Cineworld will continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any future plans to resume operations in these markets 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," Cineworld said.
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