Regal Cinemas announced in a tweet today that starting October 8th, all 536 U.S. theasters will close until further notice. This leaves over 40,000 employees furloughed. Over 100 theaters in the U.K. will also close.
— Regal (@RegalMovies) October 5, 2020
The news comes after last week’s announcement that MGM was pushing back the James Bond film No Time To Die until Easter weekend 2021. It is unknown if this is a permanent closing for Regal but with no big releases the rest of the year, its clear that remaining open when the pandemic is still happening is unsustainable.
Though this is the first major theater chain to shut its door, more closings might be on the horizon. AMC filed for bankruptcy back in April and expressed doubt in June whether or not it could remain open.
