Regal, AMC, and other chains closing their US movie theaters due to coronavirus

In the latest of a long series of closing announcements associated with government efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, all 543 Regal Cinemas locations in the U.S. will close as of Tuesday, March 17, the movie theater chain announced Monday afternoon. “All theatres will remain closed until further notice,” the company said in a news release, making Regal the first nationwide cinema chain to announce a complete shutdown. Other chains rapidly followed suit. Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, which had already shuttered locations in Los Angeles and New York City, announced that all its corporate-owned locations were closed until further notice. The small independent chain Harkin closed all theaters through March 31. The Showcase Cinema chain will close through April 7. Bow Tie Cinema locations have closed, with no announced reopening date. And AMC Theaters, among the largest American chain, shut down with a terse message on its corporate website: “All AMC theatres are temporarily closed in accordance with local and federal guidelines. They will re-open when those guidelines allow.”