Cinemark won’t require guests to wear face masks, AMC doubtful about future

As cities and states nationwide loosen their stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, businesses are beginning to look at what operations will look like post-COVID-19. Although the numbers have decreased in many areas, health experts are still recommending that people social distance through the summer, meaning many companies will be instituting social distancing guidelines or requiring patrons to wear face masks moving forward.

Of course, different companies will make different decisions, and Cinemark has already announced that it will not require moviegoers to wear masks when movie theaters begin opening back up, which is expected to happen in most places in July.

Speaking to The Wrap, the company revealed parts of its reopening plans, emphasizing the fact that employees will have to wear masks, and that the theaters will be sanitizing based on CDC and WHO guidelines:

"Cinemark will also increase its cleaning and sanitation measures to levels that meet or exceed the CDC and WHO guidelines; minimize physical interactions at the box office and concession stands, while installing plexiglass screens; frequently disinfect high touch areas, including theater seats every morning and before each screening; provide hand and seat sanitizing for guests; screen employees before each shift; and stagger showtimes to minimize crowds."

While it seems Cinemark is making an honest effort to keep its theaters as clean as possible, there is the question of whether patrons will feel comfortable or safe going to movie theaters over the next few months — and that’s a question that exists even before taking into consideration the fact that Cinemark won’t require they masks.

If other big theater chains do require masks when they reopen, Cinemark may see patrons go elsewhere. It’ll be interesting to see what moviegoers favor as the world attempts to return to some semblance of normalcy in the coming months. With any luck, it won’t have too big an impact on the theater industry.

But that seems unlikely. According to a regulatory filing obtained by CNN, AMC has “substantial doubt” whether it can even remain in business, having lost over $2 billion in the first quarter of 2020 alone. “Even if governmental operating restrictions are lifted in certain jurisdictions, distributors may delay the release of new films until such time that operating restrictions are eased more broadly domestically and internationally, which may further limit our operations,” the company said.

We’ll see how it shakes out in a couple of months.

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h/t The A.V. Club