LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, the world’s largest cinema operator, will begin reopening its Los Angeles locations beginning with two cinemas on Monday, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Theaters in Los Angeles County, home to Hollywood and the largest movie market in the United States, have been closed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Local authorities released them to resume operations as of Monday, if they limit service to 25% of capacity.
AMC said it would return to business by starting with cinemas in Burbank and Century City. The company plans to start opening the rest of its cinemas in the Los Angeles area and elsewhere in California, starting March 19.
Los Angeles is the largest market for AMC in number of theaters. The company has 56 cinemas in California, including 25 in Los Angeles County.
The independent movie and cinema chains have been devastated by the prolonged closings and expect the public to return in the spring and summer as coronavirus vaccines become more widely distributed.
Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis