Regal Cinemas will immediately close 18 remaining open movie theatres the chain left open, Deadline reports, which includes Fresno’s Manchester Center location.
Despite closing down the entire chain last month, Regal kept selected sites open in California and New York.
GV Wire℠ called the Manchester theatre Tuesday morning after noticing their website did not list any showtimes for Thursday and beyond. An employee answered the phone and said they’d be programming the Thursday lineup today. When we asked about Friday and beyond, she directed us to contact Regal’s’ corporate office.
GV Wire℠ called the corporate number listed on Regal’s site but a message said their call center was not open due to COVID-19, and that all requests must be emailed. GV Wire℠ sent an email and has yet to hear back.
The Sierra Vista Cinemas 16 in Clovis remains open with reduced capacity and is following COVID-19 protocols. The multiplex theater is owned by Santa Rosa Cinemas.
Madera 2 Drive-In
The Madera 2 Drive-In still has a slate of films scheduled to show through December 3 according to the theater’s website. GV Wire℠ attempted to contact someone at the location but only got a recording of the current slate of movies being shown.
Movies showing this week include “Let Him Go”, “Come Play”, “Toy Story”, and “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch”.
The theater lists rules on its website for moviegoers:
- Everyone must wear a face covering/mask when you are outside your car when going to the snack bar and/or restrooms.
- Everyone must practice social distancing ( 6 feet ) at all times
- You may not park your vehicle within 10 feet of another vehicle – look for the yellow markings (center vehicle between two speaker poles)
- You may sit outside your vehicle but social distancing must be maintained from other customers at all times
- Limited number of people in the restroom at a time except an adult with a child
With temperatures dropping — many drive ins are now winding down for the winter. But others are staying open beyond their normal closing dates, stretching a season that might usually end around Labor Day much later according to the Associated Press.
John Vincent, president of the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, estimates more than 200 drive-ins were still operating through the first Sunday in November.
Hundreds of Regal, Cineworld Movie Theaters Closed in October
In early October, Cineworld Group PLC announced the closure of 536 Regal cinemas in the U.S. and 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse venues in the U.K. affecting some 45,000 employees.
At the time, the company said it was temporarily shuttering its locations due to a lack of blockbusters on the calendar and major domestic markets like New York remaining closed.
Without the big releases, Cineworld said it can’t give customers “the breadth of strong commercial films necessary for them to consider coming back to theaters against the backdrop of COVID-19.”
This story has been updated to include information about Sierra Vista Cinemas 16. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
