AMC theatres to start reopening in Los Angeles on Monday

[LOS ANGELES] AMC Entertainment Holdings, the world's largest cinema operator, will start reopening its Los Angeles locations starting with two theatres on Monday, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Cinemas in Los Angeles County, the home of Hollywood and the largest moviegoing market in the US, have been closed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Local authorities cleared them to resume operations again starting on Monday if they limited attendance to 25 per cent capacity.

AMC said it would return to business starting with theatres in Burbank and Century City. The company plans to begin opening the rest of its theatres in the Los Angeles area, and elsewhere in California, starting on March 19.

Los Angeles is the largest market for AMC by number of theatres. The company has 56 theatres in California including 25 in Los Angeles County.

Movie theater chains and independent cinemas were devastated by the extended closures and are hoping that audiences will return in the spring and summer as coronavirus vaccines become more widely distributed.

REUTERS