1:09 pm PST 3/9/2021
in
Pamela McClintock
Theaters across LA County – the nation’s main cinema market – closed a year ago because of the pandemic.
Los Angeles theaters may be just days away from reopening, albeit with a number of security protocols, including 25% capacity or no more than 100 people in any auditorium.
Theaters across LA County – the nation’s main cinema market and home to the entertainment world – have been out for a year because of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, based on Governor Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan, the county switched from the purple layer to the less restrictive red layer after the number of COVID-19 cases declined.
If this trend continues for another week, cinemas may reopen in time for the weekend of March 19-21.
Los Angeles, along with New York City – where cinemas reopened last weekend – are the key to any box office recovery.
As soon as theaters in New York and Los Angeles turn on the lights, movie distributors will begin to feel comfortable launching their big-budget tents. However, the studios will want to see the capacity grow to 50 percent.
Los Angeles’ largest market provided nearly 9 percent of all box office revenue in 2019, while the New York DMA yielded 7.4 percent.
Currently, about 45% to 46% of North American cinemas are operational, according to Comscore.