The COVID-19 coronavirus has done its job of ensuring that 2020 is a pretty awful year all around, having now infected over 20.5 million people worldwide with a death toll reaching 750,000. And as if the effect it’s had on the health of people isn’t bad enough, it’s also made for a really boring year for those who are social distancing to avoid contracting the virus. With nearly no major events being safe to attend, social gatherings frowned upon, and the majority of movie theaters closed, there’s not a lot for people to do outside their homes.
And though the debate rages on over whether the economy should fully reopen, many companies that have been impacted by long-term closures during the outbreak have decided to begin firing back up now. Among those is the largest theater chain in the world, AMC Theatres, who analysts predicted wouldn’t survive the pandemic at all.
The chain will begin reopening nearly 100 locations on August 20th, hot on the heels of CEO Adam Aron claiming confidently that the company has survived COVID-19. However, he’s also confirmed that new and expansive cleaning costs will ultimately be passed on to the consumer, assumedly through increased ticket prices and more expensive concessions.
But anyone interested in attending immediately will get a chance to avoid those extra costs, as August 20th marks the 100th Anniversary of AMC Entertainment, and Aron has announced that the chain will be offering 15-cent tickets on its special reopening day to celebrate the event.
In his statement, he excitedly stated:
We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies. As our guests return on our first day of resumed operations on August 20, we invite them to join us in celebrating a return to the movies, and in celebrating 100 years of AMC making smiles happen with movies at 1920 prices of only 15 cents each.
AMC Theatres is expected to open upwards of 300 additional locations in next few weeks leading up to major upcoming releases like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and and the X-Men spinoff The New Mutants. In the meantime, other promotions include some classic films returning to the big screen for a limited time, such as Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Inception and more. But will these 15-cent tickets be enough to draw folks in on opening day? We’ll have to wait and see.