Cinemark Theatres Reopen in Los Angeles

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Cinemark Theatres have started their reopening process in Los Angeles. The theater chain made the announcement late this week, with all ten of their Los Angeles area locations expected to open between now and Monday, March 15th. By early next week, Cinemark is expected to have 90% of its North American locations open to the public with an abundance of safety protocols in place. Movie theaters in the LA area have been shut down since this time last year.

Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi made the reopening announcement and is excited to welcome southern California residents back into the movie theaters. "Cinemark is thrilled to once again offer Los Angeles movie lovers the chance to see a movie on our big screens with sight and sound technology that truly cannot be replicated at home," said Zoradi in a statement. New York has slowly started opening movie theaters up, with moviegoers cautiously heading back. You can read the rest of Zoradi's statement below.

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"Los Angeles is one of the most meaningful moviegoing markets in the world, and we look forward to providing moviegoers the entertainment experience they have been craving with the health and safety protocols they can trust. With an extensive list of blockbusters set to release in the coming months and nearly 90 percent of our U.S. circuit open, there is no better time to get back to the theatre."

Each Cinemark auditorium is "extensively disinfected between showtimes with products identified by the EPA to be effective in eliminating COVID-19," states the company's reopening protocols. Staggered showtimes and limited capacities will be utilized to maximize physical distancing, while Seat-Buffering Technology automatically blocks seats adjacent to a party upon ticket purchase. Face masks are mandatory for all moviegoers within the theater, though they can be removed for eating and drinking in the auditoriums. Additionally, all employees will have to wear a face mask at all times.

Cinemark went on to state that all of their "public and high-touch spaces are thoroughly sanitized frequently." Seat wipes and hand sanitizer are available to the public, with all seats being wiped down after each screening. Potential guests are "encouraged to purchase tickets online and use contactless payment methods for a more contact-free experience." They went on to say that cash payments will be limited, though they did not provide further details on the matter.

In addition to the aforementioned safety protocols, Cinemark wants moviegoers to know that they have increased ventilation into each auditorium, with each one equipped with its own HVAC system. A constant flow from outdoor air is also frequently cycled into each auditorium. With vaccine distribution on the rise, we could see a lot of people in the Los Angeles area returning to movie theaters in the next few days. The Wrap was one of the first outlets to report on Cinemark Theatres reopening their doors in Los Angeles this weekend.