Movie theaters are finally starting again: will you go?

Theater owners get ready. Some executives in Hollywood are promoting the release of delayed films. And for films that will open in theaters in the coming weeks, the interest of customers to return, plus box office results in New York and San Francisco, will begin to test the wisdom of the unprecedented decisions of studios over the past year – namely to to premiere films simultaneously in theaters and on digital streaming services.

Movie theaters elsewhere in the U.S. have been open for months, including in Florida, Texas and Ohio, but the box office results were grim. The largest few cinema markets in the US make up a large percentage of box office revenue when a movie appears.

“Adrenaline is definitely pumping and I’m definitely excited about the reopening,” says Scott Rosemann, who runs the Angelika Film Center in New York in the trendy SoHo area, as well as two other city theaters. “Since we have to get all adults in the US vaccinated against adults, it gives me a lot of hope that we will have a summer season.”

President Biden said earlier this week that he expects the U.S. to have adequate vaccine supplies for all U.S. adults by the end of May.

Theater owners are still unable to pack auditoriums, and many large theater markets remain closed, including in Hollywood studios’ home base in Los Angeles.

Cineworld Group CNWGY 3.28%

The Regal Entertainment Group of PLC, although encouraged by reopening, has said it will resume operations at its more than 500 US theaters until its leadership is convinced that big-budget films will definitely follow. “Once Los Angeles follows suit, we are confident that the studios will keep their release dates for new movies, enabling us to reopen our theaters,” the company said.

Both New York and San Francisco require theaters to attend 25%, and movie theaters will require moviegoers to wear masks. And it remains unknown whether a long-awaited demand for popcorn and big screens will emerge, after more than 500,000 U.S. deaths due to Covid-19 and the prolonged public fear of gathering in indoor spaces.

Hollywood’s largest studio, Disney,

DIS 1.04%

have confidence. On Friday, the studio debuted in more than 2,000 North American theaters as “Raya and the Last Dragon.” It’s been one year since Disney opened a new movie in local theaters.

At the same time, Disney is making the film available to subscribers of its streaming service Disney + for another $ 30, which means that some people will probably watch the animated family movie at home.

The last movie Disney released exclusively in North American theaters was Pixar’s “Onward.” It hit more than 4,000 theaters on March 6, 2020, but crashed on the box office amid the worsening pandemic and the closure of the theater.

John Krasinski, director of Paramount Pictures’ highly anticipated sequel “A Quiet Place Part II” announced on Twitter late Thursday that the release of his film has moved to the weekend of Memorial Day in May from the premiere he had previously planned in September. has.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is also optimistic about May. This week, the studio said it would release “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” in May rather than in June. According to the person known, the studio chose to debut the film in theaters earlier due to recent signs of recovery and the demand for family films.

Family movies have fared better than others in recent weeks. According to The Pictures’ upcoming weekend, The Croods: A New Age, Universal Pictures earned $ 52.4 million, according to Comscore, after a relatively strong 14-week long run in theaters. Last weekend, another family title, Warner Bros. “Tom & Jerry,” took first place inside after earning $ 13.7 million in ticket revenue, Comscore also said.

Like all of the studio’s 2021 releases, ‘Tom & Jerry’ can also be seen on streaming service HBO Max, which, like Warner Bros. is a unit managed by AT&T. Inc.’s

WarnerMedia.

During the pandemic, Hollywood studios either focused on their streaming services, delayed the release of their most popular projects, or sold movies to competitors for online distribution. As a result, the country’s largest theater chains, which include Regal, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Cinemark Holdings Inc.,

CNK 1.93%

saw their chances of generating income decline. AMC has repeatedly managed to ward off bankruptcy over the past year.

As selected cities and states weakened restrictions amid fluctuations in the pandemic, AMC and Cinemark reopened some theaters at lower capacity. They also implemented social distancing measures and increased hygiene protocols.

Many theater owners expect Hollywood studios to re-release high-profile films after moviegoers show that they are comfortable returning to multiplexes and reopen the rest of California, primarily Los Angeles.

Franchise films, such as MGM Holdings Inc. ‘s latest James Bond episode “No Time to Die” and Disney’s Marvel spin “Black Widow”, usually account for the bulk of ticket sales. The two films, among numerous other big-budget titles, were repeatedly delayed during the pandemic. ‘Black Widow’ is currently scheduled for early May in the US and Canada, while ‘No Time To Die’ is scheduled for October 8.

In an effort to get life back to normal, the Texas government, Greg Abbott, took a more aggressive approach than many other states and companies when it lifted pandemic-related restrictions on businesses in Texas and canceled the state’s masking mandate. has.

The move poses numerous complications for businesses, including movie theater chains. Tim League, founder and CEO of the chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas Holdings LLC in Austin, has joined a chorus of companies and said they will continue to follow popular recommendations and uphold the protection protocols of Covid-19. The chain also announced this week that it must permanently close two locations in Texas as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

‘If your mask assignments are relaxing now, what about the people there in the room who work there every day? They are in danger, ‘said Mr. League said.

While Mr. League says it considers this week’s news to be one of the best it’s heard in months, its Alamo theaters in New York and San Francisco will remain closed this weekend as the chain’s dining experience provides extra preparation required before reopening.

“There are many signs of encouragement and I am confident that we will return to some normalcy later this year,” he said. “But it all depends on the people’s ease of getting out of the house.”