Regal Cinemas will start opening locations in the U.S. in late August, just in time for Tenet's new Sept. 4 release date.
According to Variety, U.S. Regal theaters will start opening their doors on Aug. 21. It is unclear how many locations will actually open, as theaters in many states and cities, including New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest markets, have yet to receive permission to resume business. The current films set to open in the U.S. over that weekend are Unhinged and Antebellum.
"Welcoming theatergoers back to our cinemas will be a celebration for not only our team and our industry, but most importantly for the fans who have been anxiously awaiting the year’s upcoming releases," said Mooky Greidinger, CEO of Cineworld. "With the health and safety of our staff, customers and communities as our top priority, we are happy to invite audiences to return to the timeless theatrical experience that we have all dearly missed."
The news comes hours after Warner Bros. announced that Tenet would premiere in select U.S. cities over Labor Day weekend, a week after its debut overseas in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Regal shut down all its theaters in mid-March after the coronavirus spiked in the United States. It was scheduled to reopen in July before cases in the South and West started to rise, forcing the chain to push off the reopening day to late August. The company operates 549 locations in 42 states.
Regal plans on enacting strict health and safety measures when it does reopen its doors, including reduced theater capacity, spacing between rows and seats, hand sanitizing stations and contactless payments. The chain will also require both guests and staff to wear masks while in the buildings.
"Our current mask policy requires both employees and guests to wear masks at all Regal theaters," a company spokesperson said in June. "Our ultimate goal is to create a safe environment for our guests and employees. This is a change to our previous policy on masks based on feedback received from our customers."
Regal's main rival, AMC Theatres, delayed its reopening from July to mid-to-late August. However, a formal date has not been announced. AMC will also require guests and staff to wear masks.