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