Americans are wary about returning to movie theaters amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to a poll of 2,200 people conducted by THR/Morning Consult between June 26-29, 7% are very likely to return to theaters immediately upon reopening while 65% are very unlikely. Looking two weeks beyond reopening, those numbers change to 8% and 56%, respectively; at one month, 10% and 48%; and at any point in 2020, 12% and 37%.
This is bad news for theater chains like AMC Theatres (which has already lost over $2 billion) or Cinemark, which have been forced to shut down over multiple months of 2020 due to the pandemic. Both companies have also faced backlash over their initial reticence to require guests to wear masks. However, AMC has since reversed its position, requiring masks to be worn, but has delayed the reopening of its theaters to July 30. Meanwhile, both of the company's largest competitors, Regal and Cinemark, have implemented similar policies, with Regal set to reopen its theaters on July 31. Cinemark's theaters have been open since June 19, although popular tentpole releases like Tenet or Mulan have been delayed, with Tenet set to release in mid-August.
Given that AMC had expressed "substantial doubt exists about [its] ability to continue" if it can't reopen theaters by the summer, that initial reluctance of moviegoers to return might prove dangerous for the company.