“This is not a decision we made lightly, and we did everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the U.S.,” said Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld.
Greidinger added, “There has been no evidence to date linking any COVID cases with cinemas.” He also said the company was frustrated that Regal Cinemas is not allowed to operate in New York state, their key market in the US. But some other indoor venues such as bowling alleys and casinos have permission to resume their business operations.
Furthermore, he said, “The prolonged closures have had a detrimental impact on the release slate for the rest of the year, and, in turn, our ability to supply our customers with the lineup of blockbusters they’ve come to expect from us. As such, it is simply impossible to continue operations in our primary markets.”
Major movie studios have been forced to delay the release of dozens of films since the pandemic started. In the meantime, theaters have sat empty or showed movies to limited audiences.
